A True Hero
by Maka.Albarn666
Summary: Amaya Hitachi didn’t have the most wonderful childhood; far from it actually. Due to her parents’ mistakes, she’s had to deal with a lot of crap in her life. Now that she’s been given the chance to make something of herself, she hopes she doesn’t ruin it. Join Amaya as she deals with her past, her emotions, her quirk and these kids who really want to be superheroes. (BNHA x OC)
1. Introduction

Metal chains clanged together causing fuzzy, black ears to twitch and small fangs to bite down on an already abused, dry bottom lip.

Not bothering to look at the woman securing the handcuffs on her wrists, Amaya kept her head down low and tried to calm her racing heart.

The man standing next to the plump middle age woman couldn't help but frown at the scene before him. He scratched at his loose, shaggy black hair and resisted saying something to the apparent pissed off woman who would not stop looking at the teen with resentment and disgust.

"Finally get some real sense of peace around here. Good luck with her, I suggest chaining her to the bed, so she doesn't try anything at night," Ms. Reí advised the tired looking pro-hero who could only nod in response. He would rather just agree because if not he might just insult the old hag.

"Let's go Hitachi. The car is out front," Aizawa spoke quietly, leading the way out and waiting for the petite girl to stand next to him.

The girl slowly followed, never letting her eyes move from the ground but before she could reach Aizawa, Ms. Reí tightly gripped Amaya's pale arm.

"Don't think that just because you've been given this opportunity it makes you any less evil than your family. You villains all share the same blood. Good riddance for me," her gruff voice harshly whispered into the girl's black ear causing her to flinch slightly and bite her lip harder.

Amaya didn't respond and was pushed to keep walking by Ms. Rei's rough hand on her back. Aizawa couldn't help but let a glare slip through toward the old hag, scoffing at the interaction that occurred.

Both adult and teen stepped out and the red, worn out door slammed causing Amaya's ears to twitch once more.

Aizawa let himself stare at her cat features for only a few seconds before he grabbed the key given to him and held out his hand toward Amaya.

Amaya raised her head to look into his dark grey eyes, emotionless golden irises focusing on the black and blue bags he had under his eyes. She raised one eyebrow in question then narrowed her eyes in fear and anger, her gold irises slitting like an angry cat, when he went to grab at her chains. The fur on her tail bristled and tightened its grip on her waist.

"Relax. I'm going to take the handcuffs off. I doubt you like wearing those. The shock collar is excessive too but unfortunately, I can't legally take that off you. So just let me do this much," Aizawa softly voiced, staring at the girl with an honest expression.

Amaya wanted to glare at him, but he stared right into her eyes without the usual disgust, anger or fear. He looked genuine which caught her off guard. It'd been a long time since anyone purposely looked her in the eyes and wasn't screaming at her.

"**_He could always just shock you if he wanted to. Don't let yourself think so much dumbass."_**

Her mind rudely supplied, defending her from feeling false hope.

Amaya's eyes glazed over from their surprised state and she moved her hands into his, letting him unlock the chains she was confined in. Now that the heavyweight was off her wrists, she twisted them in an easy, practiced, memorized way. Looking back down she waited for Aizawa to continue forward and down the building.

Aizawa didn't say anything after that encounter, just moved to the black car that waited in front of the complex. The quiet atmosphere was mostly comfortable, but the man couldn't resist feeling sympathetic to the young girl's situation. Usually known for his blank face and blunt mannerisms he couldn't help but want to make the girl feel less tense and show her that she wasn't being seen as a villain right now.

"_Poor kid. Damn adults fearing and mistreating a child that had no control over her situation," _Aizawa's thoughts growled, his hands gripped the car door handle a bit harder than usual as he opened the driver's side.

Amaya sat down in the passenger's seat, being mindful of her tail and placed her worn out bag on the ground. Immediately she moved her eyes to look out the window. She was nervous about starting her new life with this pro-hero and couldn't help but wonder what this new path would include for her. It honestly couldn't get worse than what she's already been through... she hoped.

The car started with a soft hum and the two drove in silence, not that either minded. Gold eyes stared at the passing buildings, taking time to admire the sun setting. It was moments like this that provided the slightest bit of comfort in her dreary life. The beauty of the sun setting was something few truly appreciated; it was an image that made her feel free whenever she was lucky enough to see it...

"_Having a window is a privilege, actually you being allowed into society again is a privilege. Don't ask stupid questions. Understand just how lucky you are that I have taken it upon myself to do something as foolish as taking care of a demon child,"_ _Ms. Reí hissed at a younger Amaya who felt her throat close up, eyes dulling._

Amaya bit at her lip to stop herself from thinking too much. Looking up she realized they had arrived at a small but comfortable looking two-story house. Without saying a word, she grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She waited for Aizawa to open the front door before moving in.

Once inside she clutched at the tattered, worn out black backpack strap that hung off from her shoulder. Aizawa closed the door and after taking his shoes off headed straight into the kitchen.

"You hungry? There's not much I can make so is ramen okay with you for now?" Aizawa asked as he rummaged through the cabinets.

Before Amaya could decline, her ears twitched as she heard the soft taps of what felt like another feline near her. Her intuition was correct as seconds later a long grey tabby cat jumped from the stairs near the entrance and immediately made way to move through Amaya's legs.

A small sincere smile made its way across Amaya's face as she crouched down and picked up the grey cat in her arms. It purred instantly and snuggled into her chest causing her nerves to be replaced with comfort.

Aizawa, standing near the kitchen's open doorway grinned at the sight before him.

"Mochi doesn't like people. Barely anyone comes here anyways but when they do, she hides," Aizawa said, looking at the spoiled cat who was currently falling asleep in the teen girl's arms.

Amaya didn't respond at first just letting herself revel in the warmth of the cat. She looked up at Aizawa with the small smile still on her face, but her words were monotonous.

"It's probably because of my quirk. I'm part cat so besides having the abilities that a cat has they tend to like me more than normal humans."

Aizawa nodded, a bit surprised the teen spoke considering he only heard her speak briefly with Nezu.

"I'm not hungry by the way. Thanks, but if possible, could I just rest? If you give me the chains, I can lock myself up, so you don't have to," Amaya quietly stated, her voice dry and eyes starting to dull over again.

Aizawa frowned, staring seriously at the small girl who had yet to move from the entrance.

"Look kid, I'm not going to ask how it was living with that old hag. However, now that you're here with me, know that I'm not chaining you to anything. I took the chains off for a reason. I even threw them out so don't worry about that. My house is now yours and if we're going to be living together there needs to be some form of trust. I trust you okay. So just relax and go to bed. You're in the guest room, which is upstairs, second door to your right," he explained before moving back into the kitchen to finish making his meal.

Amaya stayed in place, shocked at the pro-hero's words. He trusted her? **Her**? When was the last time she was given such freedom? She couldn't help but stare at the man's back for a bit longer before slowly shuffling upstairs into the guest room, Mochi still asleep in her arms.

Opening the door to the, well technically now her, room Amaya placed Mochi on the blue bed beside her. The guest, _her_, room was much bigger than the closet of a room she had before. Next to the blue bed with white comforters and black pillows was a wooden nightstand that had a simple lamp and digital alarm clock. She had not one but two windows decorating her walls and a closet to her right.

Sitting down softly on the bed Amaya couldn't help but feel a knot in her throat and clenched at her chest. She breathed out slowly and tried to settle her mind.

"_My home is now yours."_

Her eyes lit up and as she rested near Mochi, she slept comfortably in a new place.

* * *

Bright sunlight filled the room and Amaya awoke disoriented. She stared at her surroundings in confusion before she realized where she was.

"_Ahh yep. I'm living with Aizawa now."_

Amaya stretched and let a yawn escape her dry mouth. It felt weird for her arms to not feel stiff and sore in the morning, however it was a feeling she hoped to get used to.

A soft meow was heard by her feet and Amaya let out a small giggle. Three gentle knocks made her immediately shut up and she naturally tensed at the door opening.

Aizawa, who looked just as tired as yesterday, glanced at Mochi before eyeing Amaya.

"Breakfast is ready. You have your own bathroom on the right here and it should have all the necessary toiletries, if not let me know," he explained calmly and then left her to her own devices.

Amaya let out the breath she was holding; she thought she was going to be punished for sleeping in and not preparing breakfast herself.

"_Calm down. This isn't like old lady Reí. Aizawa doesn't seem to be scared or disgusted by you **yet**. Let's just see how things play out today."_

With that thought in mind Amaya nodded to herself before getting ready for the day.

* * *

Considering she didn't own more than five outfits Amaya's options were limited so she changed the old grey sweats and wrinkled black tee to black skinny jeans and slipped on a maroon hoodie, making sure to keep her wrists covered.

Walking downstairs, Amaya's ears twitched at the sounds Aizawa made from the kitchen. Her black tail wrapped around her arm as a source of comfort. This would be the first time she had breakfast with someone in three years and her nerves were getting to her.

Looking around, Amaya appreciated the small but homey kitchen and sat down at the four-person table. On display her eyes greedily stared at the breakfast laid out. There were chocolate chip pancakes in a stack on the middle of the table and a bowl of strawberries next to it. Near that dish was a plate of bacon and little sausages that caused Amaya's mouth to water.

Embarrassingly her stomach gurgled loudly, causing an abrupt blush to spread on her cheeks. Trying to keep her face neutral, Amaya cautiously watched Aizawa to see if he'd yell at her for being near the food. She knew that he heard her stomach noises but all he did was fix up eggs on two plates with a grin on his face. Hesitantly she sat down seeing as he wasn't angry at her and her tail slowly started loosening on her arm.

Aizawa placed the eggs in front of her then sat across the table.

"Itadakimasu," Aizawa mumbled before he began eating.

Amaya, still hesitant about messing up, slowly moved her fork to place some bacon on her plate. She focused on Aizawa's reaction to see if it was safe and when he didn't react, she too mumbled her appreciation for the food and began to eat.

Amaya's eyes widened at the taste of the food. She had come to rely on herself to cook the meals while living with Ms. Reí. While she definitely knew the basics of cooking, none of her meals ever looked or tasted so good. Amaya was allowed to eat scraps or leftovers of Ms. Rei's plate, but it was never a lot, so she had accustomed herself to not eating much. Hence why she was smaller than the average 15 year old and got full after eating the eggs and two pieces of bacon on her plate.

"You can eat more. A heroine needs her strength and that requires substance," Aizawa encouraged, looking at the young teen with concern in his eyes.

Amaya nodded and bit her lip in response. She didn't want to anger him, but she knew her stomach couldn't handle that much food either.

Taking a chance, she told him the truth.

"I lived with Ms. Reí for two years and during those years I wasn't really allowed to eat much. The food is delicious, and I want to keep eating but I'm not used to it. Please forgive me. I'll try my best to eat more."

Aizawa stopped eating and stared at the girl sympathetically. He felt his hands clench, knuckles turning white in anger at the old hag. Breathing out deeply he unclenched his hands and gave Amaya a soft look.

"That's okay. We're going to have to build up your appetite because once you start training, you'll pass out if you don't eat enough. You don't have to eat more now but you'll have to start eating snacks about every three to four hours," Aizawa explained looking seriously at the teen.

Amaya felt surprised, something warm building up inside of her. She nodded, gripping at her chest in slight confusion, moving to wash her plate.

She washed the dishes Aizawa used while he cooked, by the time Aizawa finished eating she too was done cleaning. She waited near the sink to clean his plate too.

"Why don't you go sit down and read. I got this. Thank you for cleaning up after me," Aizawa thanked Amaya before starting to clean his plate. Amaya looked shocked at his suggestion.

She was used to doing house chores, it was demanded of her when she lived with Ms. Reí. Although honestly Amaya didn't mind doing them as it gave her freedom to move around and let her mind be distracted. If she wasn't cleaning, Amaya was left with training or studying her school materials... Or being chained to bed until Ms. Reí remembered to let her go.

Seeing as it was summer break before her first year of high school, she had nothing to read. Training seemed out of the question and Aizawa hadn't made any moves to lock her up. She moved to the living room and sat on the couch with Mochi. She decided to play with her and wait for Aizawa to see if he wanted her to do something for him.

A few minutes later Aizawa emerged from the kitchen and sat on the other side of the couch. He glanced at Amaya and Mochi before turning on the tv.

Amaya immediately looked at Aizawa, giving him a puzzled stare.

"Yes Hitachi?" Aizawa drawled.

"Are there any chores I have to do? You haven't really told me any rules, restrictions or responsibilities you expect of me, so I was curious," she responded as she bit her lip in nervousness.

Aizawa felt like groaning and sighing at the same time.

"What part of 'my house is your house' did you not get? The house is clean and all I really expect you to do is clean your own messes. You don't really have any restrictions but if you go out, I want to know where and for how long and we can discuss a curfew, so you don't accidentally worry me. My only 'rules' are for you to try your best when you start school and to talk to me if you have any issues," Aizawa explained as he stared at Amaya.

Amaya didn't know how to respond. This was completely different to what she was used to, and she felt so disoriented. Without meaning too, tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. All she could do was nod before hugging Mochi tightly to her chest and watched whatever show Aizawa had on the tv screen.

* * *

The day passed on without much happening. Amaya watched tv and snuggled with Mochi which was definitely a first that she could get used to. Aizawa had fallen asleep for most of the day, without noticing he had pulled out and slept in a yellow sleeping bag at one point which surprised her. Amaya had eaten a banana and a few strawberries throughout the day to start expanding her appetite but besides going into the kitchen she didn't move much.

"_This is weird. I'm going to start training tomorrow. While this is nice, __**I can't become too comfortable**__."_

Amaya's thoughts warned her as she showered and got ready for bed.

* * *

The next few days passed in a similar fashion with the exception of included training time that Amaya had asked Aizawa permission to do. He didn't object so she trained for at least three hours a day outside. Aizawa let her train out in the backyard which was new to Amaya but very enjoyable. She could run suicides at long distances now and the cool summer breeze felt nice. Practicing her speed, increasing her stamina and flexibility outside also gave her new determination to work even harder.

The weeks began passing by, and each day Amaya felt her guard slipping with Aizawa. They were both quiet people, so days were relatively peaceful, but he always reminded her when to eat and asked her how she was doing or if there was anything she needed. He would go out at night sometimes to deal with pro-hero work, but he didn't chain her up or even threaten her about not leaving. He seemed to really care about her, it was disarming.

Amaya also noticed that since living with Aizawa any and all night terrors had calmed down for some reason. She didn't always have nightmares but they occured at least once a week so the radio silence in her mind worried her. She decided to not question it and just enjoy her dreamless sleep.

Aizawa wasn't the most affectionate person and he didn't really mince words, but he always spoke to Amaya in a calm manner and gave her small grins and soft looks. In the last month he had even started giving pats on her head when she made a good dinner for both of them. The first time had taken her by surprise and she automatically flinched at the soft gesture. However, he just patiently waited until she relaxed and showed her, he was thanking her.

Too soon it was only a week before they both started school and Amaya didn't know how to act anymore. Yes, she was still cautious and quiet with Aizawa, but she didn't flinch when he was near her anymore. She stopped trying to hide her misty black tattoo after he saw it but didn't say anything. She actually started to miss his presence whenever he had to leave at night, not that she'd ever let him know that. His quiet company was comforting and without realizing it Amaya had grown a bit attached to this new lifestyle.

Within these last two months she didn't go out unless it was to train outside but that didn't mean she couldn't go. Aizawa gave her that freedom, she chose not to go because she knew what would happen if people saw her in public. If they didn't recognize her immediately then the shock collar would instantly put people on edge so she just avoided public places whenever she could.

Still she was free. In ways she hadn't been in so long and it was all thanks to Aizawa. He was patient and cared for Amaya in ways she forgot were possible. She knew the only reason she was staying with him was because she had to attend U.A. but she was scared about entering. She knew people were going to recognize her and hate her instantly. It wasn't made public news for fear of a protest, but the staff and parents of 1-A knew. Meaning those teachers and probably all those kids were going to hate her before even seeing her. However, she prepared herself and kept reminding herself that she was used to that... **was**. It's crazy to think that one kind person's attitude could make her forget, if only a little, about just how much the world feared her.

Amaya didn't want to leave the comfort of this home. She wanted to continue having meals with Aizawa, reading for pleasure, training outside where he'd occasionally stop by to give her some exercises to try, watching dumb movies with Mochi while Aizawa slept in his favorite yellow sleeping bag. She knew she could handle rejection but now she wasn't sure if she could go unaffected like she was used to. She also knew if she wanted comfort in Aizawa she couldn't just go to him during school. No one was to know about their living arrangements so that was out of the question.

Amaya sighed, letting the warm water of her bath wash away her worries. She almost laughed at herself now because this was not what she expected to occur when she said yes to Nezu's offer a few months ago.

"_So, if I'm understanding correctly, you want to come to U.A.? You want to join the hero course and train to be a pro?" The small white mouse-bear asked Amaya, giving her a smile._

_Amaya nodded, gripping at her chains. Even if the world hated her, she didn't care. She was going to be someone that would save everyone in need. 'Hero', 'villain', it didn't matter, anyone that needed help would receive it from her. She knew what it was like to want to be saved. No one was going to save her, no one had, so she needed to step up and save herself._

Nezu partially saved her by giving her this chance. Aizawa saved her too. Be it intentional or not he did. If only partly, she knew she wouldn't be able to form close relationships with her peers but for a long time she believed she'd never form any kind of relationship with another person. Aizawa proved her wrong.

With that thought in mind she clenched her hands in determination. To show her gratitude and make sure Nezu knew he made the right choice she was going to go to U.A. bravely. She was going to save others. Friends or no friends she now had some hope that Aizawa and Nezu placed in her. It wouldn't go to waste.

"_U.A. get ready. I'm coming._

* * *

"Nervous?" Aizawa asked as he watched Amaya's small cat fangs bite down on her dry bottom lip.

Amaya shook her head and fixed her tie one last time before staring at the breakfast in front of her.

Living with Amaya for two months let the already pretty observant Aizawa get used to and recognize her nervous ticks. Even though she tried to hide her anxiousness she had subtle tells. Aizawa noticed that while her face could remain blank, giving no feeling away, if she was biting her lip that meant she was worried. When she felt intimidated or very nervous the fur on her tail would bristle and to comfort herself, she'd wrap it around her right arm.

Sighing, he patted her head, being mindful of her ears and took a bite of his jelly covered toast.

"Don't be. You have me as a homeroom teacher and while I know you might be given strange looks just ignore it. All teachers have been notified about your appearance and all were promised to treat you normally. So, if any asshole kid says some shit to you just let Nezu or me know," Aizawa advised Amaya, the soft smile across his face unknowingly calming her the slightest bit down.

More confidently she nodded and finally took a bite of her own toast. She knew today would be a bit difficult, but she just had to focus on becoming better and someone who could save lives not make friends. If she kept quiet and did all her work, then teachers would have no reason to use her shock collar. Aizawa said that they would treat her normally but Nezu explained that by law she had to sit away from the rest of the class to satisfy the parents' worry of the safety of their children.

"_Bullshit."_

"_Aizawa I understand why this would upset you but it's the law and the only way to satisfy the parents of the rest of these kids," Nezu sighed sadly, rubbing at his temple._

_Aizawa scowled and harshly grumbled,_

"_She's a kid too. It's not normal for someone her age to be literally segregated from her class."_

"_I agree. However, I cannot change the law. Just how you cannot get upset if some of the teachers choose to chain or even shock her," Nezu softly replied._

_At that Aizawa growled. Just the thought disgusted him. Treating a child in that manner, if he found out any of his coworkers treated Amaya like that there'd be hell to pay._

"_Aizawa it's okay. I'll make sure they won't have any reason to do that. Besides, being separated from my peers might not be terrible. I'm good with solitude," Amaya reasoned surprising both adults as they temporarily forgot of her presence while discussing this matter._

_Aizawa had so much more he wanted to say but looking at the determined gaze in those gold eyes he knew she could handle this._

"_Okay."_

With breakfast finished, Amaya placed the dirty dishes in the sink before grabbing her satchel and looking over her appearance one last time.

Her white button down was clearly ironed and neatly tucked into her knee-length skirt. Her red tie sat still against her chest, her unbuttoned green and grey jacket fit snug against her petite stature and covered her tattoo. Her black thigh-high stockings covered most of her pale legs and the brown shoes Aizawa got for her were comfortable on her feet. She had brushed her black hair loose, letting it rest against the middle of her back. Her black cat ears were flat on her head, her hair helping hide their appearance. Her black tail curled around her right thigh, hiding it from people's view.

It was an attempt in making herself less noticeable from her peers and hopefully giving her a little time before people recognized her. While she was lucky the public didn't get that many pictures of her, the cat tail and ears were a clear giveaway about her lineage.

Her ears hurt a little from their position, but she was used to hiding them considering her past. It was an annoying task to do this considering all crimes associated with her last name were caused by her parents. She was just their product, yet everyone treated her like she was a monster too.

Not letting herself get lost in those thoughts, she nodded in approval at her appearance. She tried to ignore the black and bulky shock collar around her neck, before looking at Aizawa one last time. Knowing they had to leave at separate times to not make things suspicious, he gave her one of his rare kind smiles. It would be some time before he saw her in homeroom and there, he couldn't be familiar with her. She smiled a bit back before offering a little wave of goodbye and leaving.

It was only a ten-minute walk to U.A. from Aizawa's house which was very convenient for both of them. Still it was enough time to let Amaya's mind wonder about all the ways her first day could go wrong. Trying to calm herself down she saw fellow students enter the gigantic school. Looking at the gate she took a deep breath before showing her ID and entering.

While Amaya had visited U.A. with Aizawa to speak to Nezu about how people would react to her appearance, she was more focused on the conversation than the building's layout. Her tail started to bristle against her thigh as she realized she was lost.

Biting her lip, she knew she had to ask for directions lest she be late her first day of classes, but no one had really looked at her yet. Meaning no one had recognized her which was good. However, it would look bad on her and her already sullen reputation if she didn't show up to class on time. Plus, while Aizawa was kind at home he couldn't be like that at school and would need to reprimand her. So, sucking up her fear and plastering on an all too well-known blank face, she tapped the shoulder of a tall, messy, indigo colored hair boy whose back was towards her.

He slowly turned around and immediately Amaya was a bit mesmerized with his dark purple colored eyes. He had very dark eye bags underneath them that reminded her of Aizawa. The similarities caused Amaya to subconsciously relax a bit more in front of this student.

"I'm lost. Could you please show me the way to 1-A?" Amaya asked in a dry voice.

The purple-haired teen who had been staring at Amaya with a look like he couldn't care less about her problems suddenly gazed at her with anger.

Amaya clenched her fists as she prepared to take whatever insult or punch, he threw at her. She knew this would happen, but she was hoping she could have avoided it for longer. She even hid her features for nothing. However, his response caught her off guard in a way she wasn't expecting.

"Wow so a hero-course student can't even find her own classroom. How depressing. Are all 1-A students this incompetent?" He sarcastically questioned, looking arrogantly and angrily at Amaya. He finally took the chance to properly look at her and immediately noticed her shock collar. His irritation died down, replaced with one of confusion.

She raised a brow at his response unsure of where his sudden anger came from. However, she kept her face impassive when she noticed his eyes looking at her collar. Taking the opportunity to not have him question or comment she responded to him.

"It's the first day. Wouldn't most kids get lost regardless of the course they're in? Are you really judging someone based on a single question because that's not so heroic either?" Amaya responded, her tone and face completely flat.

The purple haired boy's eyes quickly peered into her dull golden ones, pulling him from his staring. He was becoming curious about her collar, his eye twitched as he took in her statement. Even though she knew he was probably embarrassed she called him out like that his expression didn't change from irritated.

"Upstairs all the way to the left," he explained, rolling his eyes and turning to walk away, leaving their conversation like that.

Amaya nodded, mutterimg a quiet thanks, before rushing up the staircase and heading in the direction of where the boy told her to go. Looking at the gold and red door that literally towered over her she took in another deep breath before pushing the door open.

There weren't many students in the class yet, only about 7 actually, all had their eyes somewhere else. She was glad they didn't look at her. She took the time to check the clock, it showed her that she still had 15 minutes before class started. A bit embarrassed she rushed so much, Amaya looked for the seat farthest away from everyone and started making her way over.

Her seat was a good five feet away from the others, all the way in the back-left corner. Setting her bag down she looked at her fellow classmates while she could before they had the chance to see and recognize her.

A fairly tall teenage girl with a rather mature physique sat in the chair in front of her. Immediately Amaya felt a possible problem occurring. With her 5'0" stature she knew she'd have some trouble looking at the board. It didn't help that so far, all her classmates seemed to be on the taller side. Besides the long black hair teen whose hair was tied into a spiky ponytail was another tall classmate.

He seemed rather muscular based on how nicely tight the uniform fit on him. Since Amaya could only see his back profile, she was able to see that he had longish hair that evenly split between two colors: white on his right-side and crimson red on his left. Amaya couldn't help but stare at his hair a bit longer. It was quite intriguing and actually really pretty to her.

She felt like she'd seen that hair before but couldn't place where. This boy felt familiar to her, confusing her, her eyes narrowed trying to remember his face.

The door opened loudly causing her ears to twitch against her head, turning to see who caused such an obnoxious noise she forgot about the bi-color haired boy momentarily.

Moving her eyes over she saw another, _seriously was everyone going to be tall in this class, _slim, muscular built guy. He had fair skin, short, spiky ash-blond hair with choppy bangs that hung over his eyebrows. His eyes sharp and bright red in color narrowed as he scanned the room. His face seemed to be in a permanent unimpressed look, and he moved to his seat in an uncaring manner.

Deciding to keep her head down before her staring caused trouble, Amaya ignored the rest of class and instead focused on the window outside.

She was peacefully zoning out when loud arguing caught her attention. Looking over, her inexpressive face showed just a hint of amusement as she saw a tall and muscular young man with a neat short dark blue hair and glasses, began scolding the obnoxious blonde from earlier about respecting school property. While she didn't have the best impression of blondie in the front, she couldn't help but be entertained by the fact that he couldn't give two shits about whatever glasses was spewing to him.

The argument didn't stop until a short, but still tall compared to her, guy with fluffy dark-green hair and a round face with large green eyes and freckles walked in the room.

"It's him," Glasses muttered and the suddenly full classroom all turned to stare at the cute, nervous looking boy. Amaya watched as most gazed at the short boy with either awe or shock. Except for blondie who looked quite pissed off at shorty.

Behind shorty, who was currently introducing himself as Izuku Midoriya to glasses now known as Tenya Iida, stepped a short brown haired, pink cheeked girl. They continued talking until a voice shut them up.

"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends," a familiar tired voice rang throughout the classroom.

Immediately Amaya felt more comforted and almost let a smile spill on her face hearing Aizawa's voice.

"Okay, it took eight seconds before you were quiet. Time is limited. You kids are not rational enough," Aizawa claimed looking unimpressed at the class.

Besides Amaya, it seemed as if most of her classmates weren't sure if Aizawa was a teacher or not.

When he literally confirmed their suspicions two seconds later the entire class gasped in surprise.

"**HOMEROOM TEACHER**?!"

Amaya bit her lip, for once not out of nervousness but instead to keep herself from laughing.

Aizawa continued on to say that everyone needed to change into their gym clothes and meet at the field. Instantly everyone stood up to go and get changed, not even looking at Amaya. Either their parents didn't tell them, or they were too worried about what Aizawa was planning to remember. The class rushing out let Amaya hang in the back and feel glad that she wasn't noticed... yet.

Aizawa remained, waiting until the last kid left before he looked at her.

"You too. Go get changed," he stated in the same blunt tone he had when he addressed the class.

Amaya couldn't help herself as she let loose one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen since she moved in with him. That caused Aizawa to drop his irritated demeanor in surprise.

This was it; forgetting about her past and reputation Amaya let herself feel excitement about what was going to happen. She was feeling like a **real** student and couldn't help but show her excitement to Aizawa.

"Yes Aizawa-sensei!" Amaya cheered before rushing to change in a private bathroom separate from the girls.

Back in the classroom Aizawa couldn't help his own smile.

"Damn brat. Show these kids what a true hero is like."

* * *

**A/N: Hello! First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading my story and anyone who is now just starting. For everyone who has followed me from the beginning of this journey this must be a surprise. After speaking with my editor we basically planned out the majority of this story out and it looks like it's going to be a good number of chapters. Like a lot. So... I'm editing and putting chapters that work well together and just combining them. Some of you might think that's silly, but it's just something my editor and I thought would be most beneficial. **

**Anyways I'll still be posting regularly every Sunday with much larger chapters. Chapter 8 is the new one and I'm sorry it's super short, but it's for a reason!**

**Moving on, for anyone new: welcome! This is my first story so I hope you all enjoy! Again I do not own Boku No Hero Academia nor its wonderful characters. That honor belongs to the one and only Kōhei Horikoshi! Amaya is completely mine and so is the plot, however this fiction does follow the story line of the anime, sorry manga readers. **

**So with that please enjoy! Please review! Thank you and stay safe! :)**


	2. One

Amaya quickly changed into the blue athletic outfit given to her but waited for most of the girls to leave the locker room before moving to the field. She was excited to see what was in store, however her mind couldn't help but remind her no one recognized her yet. Thankfully she was blending in the background quite beautifully, no one had tried to talk to her or even noticed that she didn't change in the girls locker room. Being quiet definitely had its perks, she felt almost invisible which was exactly what she wanted.

However, they were bound to notice her eventually.

"_**Once they recognize your last name it's all over. They'll hate you just like everyone else does."**_

Shaking the negative thoughts away Amaya tried to focus more on doing well on whatever was about to happen.

Out in the field class 1-A stood waiting for Aizawa to explain what was about to occur. His response shocked the class immensely.

"**A QUIRK ASSESSMENT TEST?!**"

Amaya flinched at the loud exclamation and kept herself more towards the back, trying to ignore the group.

Still, she too was a bit worried about this sudden test. What exactly would she have to do? Would her training be good enough for this kind of test?

Distracted by her thoughts Amaya tuned out most of what everyone was saying until Aizawa spoke in a clear voice.

"Bakugo, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?"

Amaya wouldn't lie in saying she was surprised it was this angry blonde porcupine that finished first. Yet she knew all too well looks could be deceiving.

"_If he finished first that means he has a strong quirk and is smarter than I thought."_

"In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?" Aizawa continued as he stared at Bakugo.

"67 meters," Bakugo replied looking right at Aizawa.

"Then try doing it with your quirk."

Bakugo smirked, confidently stepping up to the large circular area marked by white paint.

"You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up and give it all you've got," Aizawa instructed, taking out what appeared to be some kind of distance-tracking device.

Bakugo stretched a bit before his face contorted into a type of snarl. Hurling his arm back he threw the ball as far as he could. A small explosion seemed to happen at the same time his hand let go of the drop meaning he produced it.

"DIE!" Bakugo shouted in an excited rage, causing her brow to raise up.

"_Die? Well at least his quirk suits him. Explosive is the best way to describe him."_

Aizawa didn't even react, merely continuing his explanation of why this test was necessary.

"Know your own maximum first. That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero."

Aizawa then showed the class Bakugo's distance, a glaring 705.2 meters facing them. Everyone gasped in shock, some from awe and others in forms of nervousness about whether or not they would be able to reach such a distance.

"_I definitely won't be able to match that. Hopefully I can show my usefulness in some other way."_

Amaya's small fangs tugged at her lip as her anxiousness grew again. What caused her to almost choke was what Aizawa said next.

His aura had changed to annoyed because of some of the kids' remarks and he held a sinister smile.

"All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."

"**HUH?!**" The entire class freaked out, and for once Amaya shared their sentiment.

"_So now instead of worrying about getting kicked out because of my past I have to worry about being kicked out if I suck?"_

Amaya dug her little claws into her forearm in an attempt to relax.

"Shit."

* * *

The one upside to this quirk test was that her classmates were too preoccupied about failing to focus on Amaya. Hiding her ears and tail were annoying but if it helped hide her identity, she would keep it up. It really did look like none of these kids' parents told them about her joining the class. Amaya thought that maybe it was due to Nezu's influence. No matter the case it made her relax more and focus on acing the next tests.

The first test was the 50-meter dash which caused Amaya to inwardly smile. Speed was one of her specialties.

One of the first kids to start the test was Iida who got a score of 3.04 seconds.

"_He's fast. Those engines of his are rather useful but I wonder if that's really his best speed considering he doesn't look so happy."_

Amaya analyzed, watching the frog girl get a nice 5.58 seconds herself.

"_I have to get a better speed score than her. A cat should be faster than a frog."_

Amaya kept that in mind as she let herself relax, watching her classmates and their quirks for future reference.

There was the shiny, naval laser boy and pink haired alien girl who had yet to show her quirk.

Then she saw Bakugo and Midoriya race, watching as Bakugo let explosions go from his hands to increase his speed. He got an impressive 4.12 seconds while Midoriya ran normally and got an average score of 7.02 seconds. Amaya wondered if his quirk was useless for this exercise as she noticed this to be the case with some of her other classmates. Still his score was the lowest so far so she hoped for his sake he could make up for it.

"_**Why the hell do you care? Do you know this kid? No. So stop because you know that he and the rest of the class don't care about you and once they find out who you are, they'll definitely hate you. Stop with these gross emotions, you know better than that."**_

Gold eyes glazed over and Amaya nodded to herself. She should only care about herself just like she learned she had to. It didn't matter what these kids' quirks were or how strong they were. She just had to do well and that's it.

"Uraraka, Hitachi you're next," Aizawa announced, staring at Amaya.

Immediately a few loud gasps were heard in the crowd.

"Did he say Hitachi? As in _the_ Hitachi's?" Someone asked in a hushed whisper, their voice laced with fear.

"No way would U.A. allow that kind of person into their school," someone else responded, making Amaya flinch.

"Look, she even has a shock collar? Did anyone notice? She'd only be wearing that if she was wild!"

"Is she going to hurt us? Is it even safe to be near her?" Another kid panicked, making Amaya lower her head and glare at the floor.

"_**See. Not even two seconds since he said your name and already, they hate you. Pathetic, useless girl."**_

Amaya's mind abused her more than the kid's harsh words and when she looked up, they were all staring at her. Some looked ready to piss themselves, others disgusted and angry.

She bit her lip but kept her face flat to prevent them seeing how much their words got to her. She wondered how to respond but again Aizawa saved her.

"Shut up. Your **classmate** doesn't need this useless chatter and I don't want to hear anything from anyone else unless you want to go to the principal's office," Aizawa threatened, his voice gruff, it was the angriest tone the students had heard today.

All at once everyone became quiet, but the damage was already done. The secret was out, and Amaya could **feel** their negative emotions on her.

"_Welp, the secrets out so might as well stop hiding these bad boys."_

Staring directly at her classmates, her eyes narrowed into slits as she glanced at their faces. She let her ears pop up into their normal position and let her bristled tail uncurl and instead wrap itself around her arm.

Some of her classmates' eyes widened and others started to tremble.

Pushing down her scoff, Amaya nodded determinedly toward Aizawa and moved to the line. The brown-haired girl from before, Uraraka, took her place next to Amaya.

Uraraka was shaking like a leaf next to Amaya and kept her head down. Amaya barely glanced at her, ignoring the sting of pain that entered her chest as quickly as she could.

Focusing on the task at hand, Amaya narrowed her eyes. The golden orbs became menacing slits as she prepared herself. When the robot made the shot into the air Amaya took off running.

When she reached the finish line, she stared at her score blankly.

4.57 seconds stared back at her.

She almost hissed at herself. She would need to work on her speed more after this.

However, the small, almost unnoticeable smile on Aizawa's face made her chest warm up.

Looking back, she saw as Uraraka was trembling her way towards the finish line. She finished at a worse speed than Midoriya and basically collapsed on her knees when she was done.

Amaya foolishly walked over to Uraraka. When she was near the brown-haired girl, she took slower but louder steps so as to not startle her.

"_**What are you doing! You're only going to make things worse! Move away now!"**_

Her mind screamed at her to stop but when Uraraka looked up and physically paled at the sight of Amaya, she couldn't help herself as she slowly extended her arm out. Uraraka flinched away and a quiet whimper could be heard from her. Amaya wanted to flinch too, especially when her classmates gasped in horror at Amaya's actions, but instead she patiently kept her hand out.

"_**STOP! You stupid, worthless demon child get away from her before you get shocked!"**_

Ignoring the voice in her head Amaya spoke in the softest voice she could manage.

"Are you okay? Hopefully your knees aren't hurt. Don't be afraid…"

Amaya shakily breathed and prepared herself for the finishing touch.

"For I am here..."

Uraraka and the rest of the class gasped at Amaya's words. All Might's most famous words used to comfort all just spilled out of Amaya's mouth. Truthfully, even she thought they sounded tainted and ruined by her.

Amaya wanted to stab herself with her own claws, but even though her words sounded much more dull and awkward than how it was intended, she wanted Uraraka and the rest of the class to really **hear** her.

She used All Might's words for a reason. She wanted them to see that she too wanted to be good and save people. She couldn't smile like All Might, she didn't even try to smile, and her words weren't all that cheerful, but she hoped the intent was clear.

Obviously, that backfired on her as the whispers started again.

"Does she honestly think it's okay for her to say that? Is she insulting All Might?"

"Poor Uraraka! I'd be shaking too if I was near her."

Amaya's ears drooped and she bit her lip hard. Her tattoo felt like it was on fire and she had the sudden urge to just run away. Going with that feeling her hand started to move away when suddenly a small, soft shaking hand placed itself on hers.

Gold eyes stared down at Uraraka's head since she had yet to look up. Still, Uraraka willingly placed her hand in Amaya's, making the class shut up and stare at the interaction.

Without saying a word, Amaya pulled Uraraka up, who nodded in thanks and then quickly moved into the crowd next to Midoriya who stared at her in concern and Amaya with a conflicted gaze.

It hurt that she literally ran away, but Amaya couldn't complain or stop the sliver of hope that worked its way into her chest.

Either way Uraraka acknowledged her attempt and that made Amaya proud of herself.

"If you guys have so much time to waste maybe this test isn't enough for you. Let's hurry it up. **Now**."

Aizawa spoke up in a menacing tone. The students shuddered and while some kept staring back at Amaya they all moved into the gym for the next test. Amaya willed her legs to stay strong even though all she wanted to do was slump onto the floor.

"They'll all see. You deserve to be here. Prove it," Aizawa looked right into Amaya's eyes as he said this. He knew the girl was putting up a front and probably felt terrible, but he also knew that these students would accept her eventually. It was just a feeling, but it was a very strong feeling that this class was different. He hoped it was right as Amaya nodded and headed into the gym too.

* * *

The next test was measuring students' grip strength. Her classmates weren't as excited as before and many made it clear to avoid being too close to the cat girl. However, the fact that this was another way for people to show off their quirks made the class become boisterous once more.

Thankfully for this test everyone had their own individual grip devices, so Amaya didn't have to be near anyone. It pained her to see some people grouping together and cheering each other on with such happy expressions. The small groups made her realize just how alone she was. Even the people who weren't in groups were still near one another. She was all by herself in the corner like always.

"_Eww it's Hitachi. It's not fair that she gets to breathe the same air as us. She's poisoning it for sure with her evil energy."_

_A snobby tall orange haired girl sneered at 12 year old Amaya who simply glazed at her and her lackeys with disinterest, not moving from her spot near the wall, away from everyone._

"_She won't talk, remember? Being mute is better for us because the less she speaks the less the air is contaminated," another girl nastily giggled looking at Amaya, the group laughing and agreeing._

_Amaya just bit her lip harder, keeping her ears down in case they tried to grab them like last time._

"_C'mon girls lets leave that dirty cat alone. You'll get sick if you're too close. Strays like her are bound to have diseases."_

"_Hugo is right. Everyone needs a gym partner, but no one wants to be near you mangy cat. So, it's better you stay here alone. You're used to it aren't you? I mean your parents had no problem leaving you."_

_A dark-haired boy smirked meanly while his blonde friend added the last remark that made the rest of the girls walk away from Amaya leaving her alone for the rest of gym._

Shaking her head, Amaya gripped her device as hard as she could, trying to use her anger and pain to enhance her strength.

30.01 kilograms stared back at her.

This time Amaya did hiss at herself, not even caring that she startled a small purple haired, if those purple balls were hair, boy that squeaked and immediately ran away from her.

"_**Useless memories distracting you. Such pitiful strength. Really you shouldn't be here. You suck."**_

That awful voice berated Amaya as she showed Aizawa her score.

To say he was unimpressed was an understatement. He looked at her with a face that basically said _"Really? Is that a joke?"_

Amaya had always been physically weak, that's why she tried to make up for it with her speed and agility. Still, 30 kilograms was just sad, laughable even.

She flushed in shame and just walked away, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

* * *

Amaya finished her next two tests with relative ease. Those high scores would hopefully cover for her terrible strength. For each test she noticed how no one got close to her but at least the class's aura wasn't as negative as before. In fact, it was like they just ignored her presence, which hurt but ultimately was the best thing for everyone.

"_**Hurt? It's an unnecessary emotion. Stop with that and focus."**_

Nodding to herself, Amaya looked back at Uraraka who got a score of infinity for her ball throw.

"**INFINITY?!**"

The entire class gasped and cheered for the girl's score knowing they could never top that.

Amaya too was amazed, but she noticed the shaking Midoriya, his face contorted in worry. She couldn't help herself as she thought about how he kept getting the lowest scores on all the tests. Even with Uraraka's slow run and her own awful strength score. Not knowing why, she felt the need to comfort him, she started walking toward the green haired boy.

"_**You piece of shit stop this nonsense! He's just going to either run away or sneer at you! Have you seriously not learned your lesson?"**_

The voice was probably right, but Amaya couldn't stop herself. She felt like she could relate to him and she already made a promise.

"_Even if the world hates me, I'll help anyone who needs it."_

With those last parting thoughts, she finally stood in front of Midoriya, who didn't even notice her appearance until now. He stiffened at such a quick pace the black-haired girl worried he hurt something.

He was trembling and Amaya could tell he was uncomfortable, probably a little scared even. Yet his face didn't show so much fear as it did curiosity.

Her eyes softened just a bit, but she continued to look at him with a blank face. "Don't worry so much about these tests. You got in here for a reason. You just have to wait for the best time to use your quirk and you'll be fine. I think if you do that, even if you were to come in at last, you'd still be acknowledged by Aizawa-sensei."

Amaya's voice sounded dull even to her, but her tone was as soft as her eyes and she hoped to help this boy even if just a little.

She walked away before he could say anything and returned to standing alone, missing his shocked expression and the blush rushing on his face.

Midoriya was up next to throw and stood staring at the ball longer than anyone else in the class.

Although she was standing a bit away from the group, Amaya's ears twitched as she heard Iida worry about Midoriya.

"It doesn't look good for Midoriya if he continues like this," Iida stressed.

"Huh? Of course not. He's a quirkless small fry you know," Bakugo brazenly retorted back to shut up Iida's concerns. Bakugo's response made Amaya curious in not only Midoriya, but the relationship between him and Bakugo.

Iida, surprised by Bakugo's words, quickly added "Quirkless? Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?"

Eyes wide she peered at Midoriya in wonder. Her ears twitched, ready for whatever his quirk was.

Midoriya stood there a few seconds longer before winding up his arm and throwing the ball as far as he could, a small grunt escaping him. The ball flew across the air and landed close enough that the group could still see it.

"46 meters!" The robot exclaimed.

The whole class, including Amaya, and even more surprisingly Midoriya looked confused by the result.

"I was definitely trying to use it just now…" Midoriya muttered, a confused tone to his voice.

Amaya's ears twitched suddenly, and she looked towards Aizawa, whose scarf was swaying in the wind, his eyes glaring at Midoriya.

"I erased your quirk."

Midoriya gasped at Aizawa who continued, "That entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted."

"You erased my quirk? Ahh! Those goggles… I see! You can erase other people's quirks with your quirk by just looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!"

While Midoriya geeked out, mutters about what kind of hero their homeroom teacher spread throughout the rest of the group. It made sense to Amaya that most of the kids didn't know about Aizawa, she herself hadn't known about him until they met on that fateful day.

"_Hitachi-chan, this is Eraser Head, underground pro-hero, but you can call him Aizawa-san if you'd like. He will be your guardian while you train and study at U.A. Not only is he a respectable teacher but his quirk puts the officers at ease. I'm sure you two will get along splendidly," the small rat-bear principal said while presenting Aizawa to Amaya with his white paw._

_Aizawa nodded, staring at the small cat girl as she narrowed her eyes at both of them. He couldn't fathom what she's been through, but he could already tell her life wasn't easy considering her circumstances. The pain, distrust and overall fear in her golden eyes didn't bode well with him. So, in the gentlest voice he could manage he greeted her._

"_It's just Aizawa. Nice to meet you Hitachi."_

By the time Amaya had pulled herself to reality, Midoriya was taking his stance once again in the circle. He looked unsure, muttering quietly to himself. The class was also whispering, wondering what Aizawa had said to the young boy.

Suddenly his whole demeanor changed and with new confidence Midoriya smashed the ball away, his throw so powerful it caused wind to blow everywhere.

Amaya's mask of indifference fell as she gazed at Midoriya in absolute wonder. She turned to look at Aizawa who had an impressed smile on his face.

"_I knew you could do it Midoriya! You even impressed Aizawa!"_ Amaya cheered for Midoriya in her mind and turned to give him a small smile. However, that soon turned into a big frown as she saw his index finger purple and broken on his hand.

"_Is that his drawback? Does he destroy his body whenever he uses his quirk? Or is it so powerful of a quirk and he just can't control it yet? Either way that looks painful."_

Painful or not, when Amaya turned to look at Midoriya he was smiling. He proudly looked back at Aizawa and announced, "Sensei, I can still move!" His teeth were clenching in obvious pain, but all she could see was a powerful Midoriya standing before the class.

Amaya couldn't believe her ears when someone exclaimed, "He got over 700 meters?!"

Uraraka cheered for Midoriya, glad her friend finally achieved a hero score. Iida worried about his broken finger and many of the students had conflicted feelings towards what Midoriya just did. However, the reaction that stood out was Bakugo's and it worried Amaya for multiple reasons.

Bakugo was enraged, eyes blazing and jaw open. He quickly ran towards Midoriya, his quirk activated, shouting, "Hey! Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!"

Midoriya let out a small scream of fear but before Bakugo could make contact Aizawa's scarfs had him trapped.

Amaya couldn't understand where Bakugo's abrupt anger came from and she worried a bit for Midoriya's safety. Her tail bristled when she heard him shouting at the shaking boy.

Ignoring Aizawa and the blonde porcupine, Amaya headed towards Midoriya who stood like a statue, in fear of Bakugo or her, she couldn't tell.

"Is your finger alright? That was a strong quirk, you definitely made an impression on Aizawa-sensei. You should head to the nurse after this is over. Good job," Amaya told him, voice void of any emotion, but she had the slightest blush adorning her face.

"_Good, you complimented him, now walk away before you ruin this interaction."_

Before she could listen to her thoughts Midoriya reached towards her, stammering and keeping her in place out of shock.

"W-wait! Um... I just wanted to thank you. F-for what you said earlier a-and now! I'm okay, and I think it's your turn next right? Good luck! N-not that you need it haha..." He all but rambled on, his face flushed, before running back towards the other kids.

Amaya turned away and bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

"_Little victory for me!"_

* * *

The rest of the exams were incredibly easy for Amaya and she managed to get pretty good scores. Once it was over the class made a circle and surrounded Aizawa, ready to hear the results. Amaya kept towards the back and kept her tail wrapped around her arm.

"The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain verbally so I'll show you the results all at once," Aizawa explained as he let the hologram light up in front of everyone.

Amaya quickly searched for her name to see she ranked 12 overall, one better than the frog girl, Tsuyu Asui. Pleased that she met her goal, she couldn't help but look towards the last scores, her eyes worriedly looking towards Midoriya when she saw the results.

"**_Why the hell do you care about this kid so much? You don't even know him, and he probably hates you."_**

"_It's not just him, anyone that ranked last is going to be expelled, I feel bad for my fellow classmate."_

"**_This is why you're weak."_**

Her mind annoyingly argued back and forth, causing her to almost miss Aizawa's next words.

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion," Aizawa calmly stated.

Silence.

"It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks," he continued, a sadistic smile on his face.

Some students exclaimed in outrage and while Amaya's face never faltered, her tail bristled in anger.

"_HE WAS LYING? Damn that was mean. I'm so glad I live with the nice Aizawa."_

Amaya could only flick her eyes back and forth in amusement as she watched her classmates mutter and sigh in relief. With that the first day of classes ended and everyone went back to change.

* * *

Amaya left her changing room and started walking in the direction of Aizawa's house.

"_Your house too."_

She smiled inwardly at that thought and ignored the stares she was getting. No doubt more people were finding out who she was, but right now she couldn't care less.

"Is she allowed to be here? Shouldn't the teachers be escorting her out or something?"

"Why is a villain even allowed to be here?" The voices muttered, causing Amaya's ears to droop.

Did they think she couldn't hear them? Or did they want her to hear that?

"**_You already know that answer."_**

Determined to not let them see her upset, she continued on with her blank face, but her ears twitched in the direction of a voice coming from behind. She turned to Uraraka's cheery voice exclaim from behind her and watched as Uraraka caught up with Iida and Midoriya. Amaya felt a bit disheartened at seeing how easy it was for her fellow classmates to become such easy friends, but she already knew this was how her life was to be. Alone. Still, she could feel happy that they had comfort in each other. Besides, maybe "alone" was a bit of an exaggeration, she had Aizawa and Mochi waiting for her.

"**_For now…"_**

Ignoring her thoughts, she trudged on when a shaky voice made her stop.

"H-hold on Hitachi-chan! Are you walking towards the station? W-want to join us?" Midoriya called out. Amaya froze. She slowly turned around, unable to mask the confusion on her face as she pointed to herself.

Midoriya's face was bright red but he wasn't trembling like before, he even had a small grin on his face. Before Amaya had a chance to respond Uraraka interrupted saying, "Y-you did really good at the quirk assessment test!"

Uraraka wasn't shaking either but she couldn't look Amaya in the eyes at all.

"It is nice to meet you Hitachi-san. My name is Tenya Iida, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Let us all get along as classmates!" Iida addressed Amaya much like he did with the others, but Amaya noted that he too would not look her in the eyes and made it clear to keep distance between them.

Still she saw that this was their attempt at acknowledging her as a classmate and it filled Amaya's chest with hope.

"**_Stop that. Look at them, they're just scared of you and don't want to get on your bad side."_**

Wanting to believe their actions were pure Amaya nodded even though her face remained neutral.

"Thank you. You all did well on the exam too. I live not too far from U.A., just some walking distance so I don't go on the train but thank you for the invitation," Amaya quietly responded, adding the tiniest of smiles back towards them.

The group of three were shocked by her reaction but nodded their understanding.

"O-okay! Um... G-goodbye Hitachi-chan!" Midoriya called out smiling at her. Uraraka and Iida nodded towards her as well and they all turned to leave.

"Amaya."

All three stopped and turned. They looked at Amaya in confusion as if they just imagined what she said.

Midoriya looked into her eyes and was surprised they weren't the blank golden orbs he was used to seeing.

Instead, her eyes were lit up and looked the softest Midoriya had seen so far. He felt his face blush and felt his friends freeze next to him, for once not out of fear.

"Please call me Amaya from now on." She gave them one last small parting smile before rushing home leaving three breathless students wondering just who exactly their new classmate was.

* * *

When Amaya arrived home, she didn't have to wait too long for Aizawa. In the short amount of time that she had to wait, she set up the tea kettle and sat on the couch with Mochi.

She was a little overwhelmed by what she did, but surprisingly she didn't regret it. She knew that having them say her first name was an intimate gesture, but she just didn't like the thought of her potential acquaintances, **_they were definitely not friends_**, calling her by her last name. Honestly that was very impulsive on her part, yet Amaya just felt uncomfortable when Midoriya addressed her by that name and felt calm enough to correct him.

"**_They can call you whatever you want, but you know what you are. A Hitachi. Monster."_**

Ignoring the ugly voice, she sat on the couch with Mochi on her lap. Amaya's ears twitched as the metal knob creaked open and she heard Aizawa enter moments later.

"Tadaima," he muttered as he took off his shoes and rolled his yellow sleeping bag under his arm.

"Okaeri. I put on the kettle; would you like some jasmine tea?" Amaya asked, already making her way into the kitchen. Hearing Aizawa's grunt, she took that as an affirmative response and set two cups of tea on the table.

He slumped down into the seat as she quietly sipped her tea and waited for him to start talking.

"12th place isn't too bad. You fared pretty well against most of the tests except strength. We'll have to work on that," he explained drinking his own tea and staring at her.

"We? As in, you're going to start participating in my training now?" Amaya asked, feeling warmth at that idea, excitement clouding her tone.

Aizawa gave her a soft look and nodded. He patted her head and continued to praise her. "Yea I'm going to help you starting at the end of this week. Like I said, you weren't terrible, but improvement never hurts. Plus, your classmates are strong and if you want to prove to everyone you are too, we both have to train."

Amaya nodded determinedly and gave him a smile. She was starting to do that a lot more often around him, but she was surprised to see that she didn't mind as much. Even her cynical side didn't comment and that left her to think about what happened today. She would work harder, she had to, in order to become someone who could save others.

As she picked up the dishes to wash them, Aizawa continued to talk.

"Tomorrow and every day after that, you know I won't be able to be with you guys all day like I could today. Meaning that tomorrow will technically be your first day since you'll have all your regular classes. In those classes I can't guarantee how the teachers will treat you, but if anything happens you come to me, understand?" Aizawa looked at Amaya for her answer, his gaze filled with nothing but worry for her.

Amaya nodded a sad but understanding look on her face. She understood what he was telling her.

"_Those teachers might use my shock collar or treat me differently and I have to just take it. Aizawa said to come to him but I don't want to cause him any more problems. It'll be fine. I'm used to this."_

Tomorrow was a new day, she hoped it would be okay.

* * *

Her peers stared at her cautiously as she entered the classroom. Amaya noticed that there were few faces of disgust and resentment, just overall weariness and a couple of frightened people.

"_That's a plus at least."_

Moving to her row she noticed Bakugo stared at her, but what shocked her was that he wasn't looking at her with disgust, fear, or caution. With his head propped up by his arm, he simply analyzed her. He was definitely judging her but not based on her past and reputation, just her. While she should've been worried about his narrowed red eyes and scowling face, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"_He's just judging me based on me. That's different, but nice in a weird way."_

Keeping her facial expressions neutral, she kept walking down the aisle when she noticed that the tall girl that sat in front of her, Momo Yaoyorozu, gave her a dark glare.

Out of instinct Amaya turned her gaze the other way to avoid that nasty look and was met with a set of heterochromia eyes. Turquoise and dark gray stared back at her; a bit confused but mostly disinterested. Amaya couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her as she came face to face with Shōto Todoroki, son of Endeavor.

That's why his back profile was so familiar. Amaya did know him, that scar was unforgettable, and she could never forget his father.

_Little eight year old Kou and Amaya held hands as they walked towards the park near their mother's office._

"_Kou let's hurry before mama gets mad and we can't go outside again for a long time!" Amaya pleaded with her younger twin. It was very rare that they were allowed outside in public, so Amaya wanted to take as much time as she could to entertain her twin and play outside with the other kids, but her twin would not move any faster._

_Kou giggled, enjoying the slow pace of their walk as he was far more patient than his sister, but it was also fun to tease her and watch her act childishly, since she was always so serious these days._

_Just as they began picking up the pace, Kou spotted large flames and a muscular build near the area of the park, close to the buildings._

_Gasping he pulled his older twin along and ran to confirm his suspicions._

_It was Endeavor, the number two hero; Kou's favorite hero, besides his parents obviously._

_Kou ran as fast as his little legs could, pulling his confused and squealing twin alongside him._

"_Excuse me! Mr. Endeavor sir could I please shake your hand?" Kou asked while his sister panted beside him. Amaya gazed up to see the hero towering over them and grinned at such a coincidence. Her brother loved Endeavor and if he could shake his hand, it would make his fanboy side complete._

_Endeavor looked at the children in disgust and pushed Kou a bit away. Amaya caught her brother instantly, but the force of the push had knocked them over._

"_You see Shōto, this is why you shouldn't come to the park. You'll just be near annoying pests," Endeavor sneered, looking down at a young boy the same age as Kou and Amaya. The twins hadn't even noticed the boy but now that they did, they couldn't look away. He had split hair color and split eye colors; both twins could see the emptiness in the boy's eyes. There was a large burn scar over his left eye which had the twins grasping onto each other in empathy._

"_Yes father." With that both Todoroki's left, and Amaya glanced at her brother to see tears slipping down his face. His black cat ears were drooping in sadness and his tail curled over his arm tightly._

_Amaya glared at their retreating form. She should've defended her twin more. She should've yelled at Endeavour for hurting her little brother like that. She vowed to make him pay._

_If only she knew the pain Enji Todoroki would cause her family later on…_

"Stop staring at me. Sit down, I don't need the child of villains to look at me for so long," Todoroki plainly stated, his face blank but his tone hard.

Amaya shook herself from those memories, narrowing her eyes at Todoroki. Her golden irises became slits, her tail bristled and thrashed behind her. This boy was seriously going to talk down on her. Did he not know the pain his father caused her and her family?

Hissing, attracting some stares from her classmates, she said in a quiet but clear tone, "You're just like that monster. Guess it's true about apples not falling far from the tree. I might be the child of villains but at least I'm not the product of some fake hero."

With that she walked away, she could feel Todoroki's anger but ignored it. It might've been her imagination, but she felt the area near her desk drop in temperature. Sighing she wondered if she should've kept her mouth shut. He was probably going to tell the teachers she threatened him or something, anything would get these guys to use the little black remote.

However, she would willingly take the electrocution then let him talk to her like that. Anyone else and she would've probably even agreed with them to look away, but he was a Todoroki. And he had the audacity to say that to her. Amaya's blank expressions and ability to look calm and unaffected were above par. Yet she couldn't stop her anger when she thought of Kou. She was angry for Kou because he couldn't be.

"_Don't worry Kou. Now that I know Shōto Todoroki is in this class I'm going to make it my goal to beat him. He won't stand a chance."_


	3. Two

Besides that, little confrontation in homeroom, Amaya's day was pretty regular. Her class had average subjects they had to learn like the general studies kids, so it was easy for her. Considering all she did was study and train, still the day seemed to pass by slowly.

Since her secret was practically school knowledge by now she had let her cat features out, noticing more stares of fear in her direction. Still, none of the teachers shocked her or outright abused her which was a plus. There were a lot of uncomfortable stares and grim looks during roll call but besides that there wasn't much to complain about. She was pretty much ignored by her class with the exception of Midoriya who waved and smiled at her as he came in. Iida and Uraraka weren't so brave but they nodded in her direction before taking Midoriya's attention away and talking to him. She didn't have to deal with much besides the now two dark glares she received from the people that sat in front of her. However, they too only glared, never approaching her so she counted that as a win.

When it was time for lunch, she debated whether or not to stay in the classroom. Aizawa gave her money to buy food but she wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with the cafeteria filled with people who hated or feared her.

Seeing as most of her classmates were heading towards the cafeteria Amaya almost stayed in the class until she saw Yaoyorozu glaring at her. She made up her mind and decided to spend the next 45 minutes just wandering the halls. She could always visit Aizawa, but she didn't want to interrupt him if he was busy or worry him about not eating in the cafeteria. As she headed out a familiar voice called out to her.

"H-hey Amaya-chan! W-wanna join us for lunch?" Midoriya asked her, Iida and Uraraka a little away from them. Amaya inwardly smiled when she heard Midoriya say her name and felt a spark of happiness at the offer. Especially since Midoriya didn't seem afraid, even coming closer to her. That spark died however, when she saw Iida and Uraraka's faces which were badly trying to hide the fact that they hated the idea. They seemed to be uncomfortable, maybe even still scared of her despite their acknowledgements.

"_**Ha! You really thought you could make friends here? Don't be daft. You can only make enemies; you sure did this morning."**_

Gold eyes glazing over and expression staying flat, Amaya shook her head at Midoriya's offer. He seemed a little taken aback by her response but slowly nodded.

"A-ah right s-sorry. You probably don't want to sit with us. S-sorry for disturbing you, have a good lunch," Midoriya sounded dejected as he moved to join his friends. Amaya felt her chest clench at his sad expression and immediately tried to make him feel better.

"_**What are you doing? This is perfect, now he won't bother you!"**_

Ignoring the bad thoughts Amaya called out to Midoriya, "Wait, that's not why. It's just that your friends don't seem to be comfortable around me, so I don't want to cause trouble. It's very kind of you to ask me but I can tell when I'm not wanted and that's okay," she explained looking from Midoriya to Uraraka and Iida.

Both friends flinched at the fact that they were caught and Midoriya frowned at them before looking back at Amaya to try and convince her.

Before he could waste his energy, she gave him an excuse to not go, "Also I just don't like crowded areas, me and people don't mix so don't feel bad. I'm going to go now, enjoy your lunch."

With those parting words she left the group and began to aimlessly wander the halls.

Midoriya looked at his friends, disappointment surrounding him and making Uraraka and Iida feel worse about what just occurred.

Amaya was blunt and could see through their facades. She called out just how cowardly the two students were. She was right, she wasn't even trying to be mean to them; she was simply stating a fact.

"Guys, why don't you want her to sit and eat lunch with us? Can't you see how alone she is? No one wants to talk to her or even be near her," Midoriya sadly pointed out. His chest tightened as he remembered how all of his classmates kept an obvious distance between themselves and her. All throughout class she was forced to sit away from everyone, and during the breaks she was by herself, simply looking out the window or reading a book. It reminded him of himself in middle school. No friends, no one who liked him or tried to talk to him.

"Well Midoriya, did you ever stop to think why no one wants to associate with her? You do know who her parents are correct?" Iida huffed, his anger coming out. Anger at Amaya or himself, he couldn't tell.

Midoriya's eyes widened in surprise at Iida's response and Uraraka kept quiet, her head down biting her lip.

"O-of c-course I know! Everyone does! But what her parents did isn't who she is. All of us ostracizing her, making her feel like she's a villain isn't right. We're supposed to be heroes and save people. Right now, no one is trying to save her. She hasn't done anything since she's been here and obviously U.A. agrees if they let her into the hero track. Doesn't she deserve a chance? Just like all of us?"

Midoriya's voice became louder, growing more frustrated as he spoke. He felt horrible for Amaya. The incident happened when she was how old? Around 11 maybe? Four years without her parents and being treated like some criminal wasn't something people could just deal with. The fact that she was here and was trying showed she deserved recognition.

Iida and Uraraka had never heard Midoriya sound so angry before, he didn't even stutter that much.

Internalizing his words, they both felt shame creep up.

"Deku-kun's right. She offered me her hand and even said 'I am here.' She's trying and none of us are seeing that. I don't know how she can stay so expressionless. If I had to deal with people who treated me like that I'd probably break down and cry every time," Uraraka stated, feeling guilty as she remembered the firm pale hand that pulled her up. The same hand that had small tremors that no one noticed but she could feel.

"Yes, you are both correct. We are training to be heroes and if we can't even save our own classmate, we will never be able to move forward properly," Iida concluded, his fist tight in frustration at his own inability to help a fellow student.

Determined to befriend the cat girl, the three friends had a flow of resolution fill them. This would be the last time Amaya ate alone if they could help it.

* * *

As Amaya wandered the halls, she took the time to appreciate the fact that she could walk by herself again. No one needed to follow her and take her outside with chains. She still had her collar, but it didn't even bother her all that much anymore. She just accepted that it was a part of her.

Walking around was making her hungry so she decided to go sit in one of the empty classes not too far away from her own and just wait until the bell rang.

Opening the sliding door and sitting at the closest desk, she expected to be alone. Not to see the same purple-haired boy from yesterday slurping a bowl of ramen noodles staring at her in confusion.

Amaya was about to head out when her stomach decided to just up and die in the loudest way possible.

_GRRRRRRG_

Her stomach literally screamed causing Amaya's face to blush an extreme shade of red that she couldn't manage to hide.

Just as she was going to turn away to go hide, she heard small chuckles in front of her.

An apple was thrown her way which she caught and looked at purple-hair in confusion.

"I don't need some girl passing out on me or trying to kill me from hunger. Why are you even here, shouldn't you be eating with all your **hero** friends?" Purple dude snidely asked her.

Raising her eyebrow, her blush thankfully calming down, she remained seated and looked at him in confusion.

"I wouldn't have killed you," is all she responded with before taking a bite of her apple, almost moaning from having something to please her empty stomach.

Noticing how she didn't respond to his question, he snorted then went on to say, "So no friends then? I don't know why you're wearing a shock collar, but something tells me that's why you're here and not with the rest of the **heroes**."

Amaya finished swallowing her apple before narrowing her eyes towards purple dude.

"Why do you hate heroes?" She asked, genuinely curious as to why he always said the word with such contempt.

"That's none of your business," he blandly replied, staring right into her eyes.

"So why aren't you with them? I thought all 1-A kids liked to stick together," he asked her once again.

"I could tell you it's not none of your business, but you'll probably find out anyway. My name is Amaya Hitachi," Amaya responded in a bored tone, causally taking another bite of her apple. She knew her name would be enough of an explanation plus he took account of her collar already.

She was right; seeing his eyes widened as he looked at her, really looked at her, as if trying to see the similarities between her and the last name she announced.

He couldn't believe he didn't notice the cat features, she definitely didn't have those yesterday. She probably was hiding them before which made sense, this also confirmed her identity even more. He didn't think she was lying but all this evidence helped prove she was being honest. Then again why would she lie about something like this? After his brief analyzation he nodded, his eyes returning to their tired uninterested state.

"Those so-called heroes in training are judging you because of your name. I guess all 1-A people are self-absorbed jerks," he sighed, slurping more of his noodles.

Amaya was midway to taking another bite of her apple when she froze. She couldn't stop the shock from appearing on her face. He didn't care? This purple haired boy knew who she was and wasn't scared?

The boy saw her surprised face and smirked at her. "Don't give me that face. So, what if your parents are villains; you wouldn't be in this school if you were one too. You're just another annoying 1-A kid to me."

Amaya felt her face heat up and warmth spread through her chest.

"_This feeling again, I keep getting it. It's nice but it's scary."_

"What's your name?" She asked peering right into him, ignoring his remarks.

He was going to be an ass again but when he saw the light in her eyes and a pretty shade of pink spread across her cheeks, he felt his heart clench. He had to answer her sincerely.

"Hitoshi Shinso. General Studies, class 1-C," he answered honestly, his gaze never faltering.

Amaya couldn't even stop the small smile from appearing if she tried. Instead she embraced it in the moment and nodded her head at a shocked looking Shinso.

"It's very nice to meet you Shinso. Thank you for the apple."

The bell rang surprising both Shinso and Amaya. Finishing her apple quickly and throwing away its core, Amaya got ready to leave.

"_**Don't do it."**_

Her mind warned her, but she ignored it.

"I hope we can do this again Shinso, have a nice day," with that she left, not seeing his surprise morph into a small smirk on his face or the nod of his head.

"Me too Hitachi, me too."

* * *

Settling down back into her seat Amaya wondered what they'd be doing for basic hero training today.

Well more like she wondered about Shinso. He was definitely weird and quiet but so was she. He also had held resentment towards heroes, or at least 1-A for some reason. Still he was honest and not so much of a dick now that she had an actual conversation with him. So, what did that mean? They weren't friends. But could they be? Were they at least lunch buddies now?

"_**Stop with these dumbass questions. Focus on what's important. You have to become number one."**_

"I am… coming through the door like a normal person!" A loud voice exclaimed, scaring Amaya, ripping her focus away from her thoughts.

All Might entered the classroom and immediately the excited whispers began.

Amaya herself became a bit star struck. All Might was really here, in the flesh, about to teach her. He was someone that saved so many lives and while he remained popular, he never let it get to his head. He did the right thing because that was simply what he had to do. No ulterior motives and not expecting any compensation. One of the only persons she could qualify as a real hero. She was very excited to learn from him.

"Let's get right into it! This is what we'll do today… Combat training!"

The class's energy transformed into a bundle of excitement and nerves. Everyone was curious as to what was in store.

"And to go with that are these!" All Might pointed to the wall next to him where shelves started to protrude through, numbered suitcases appearing in front of everyone.

"_Just how much money does this school have?!" _Amaya's eyes widened, almost popping out of her head. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, they definitely didn't kid around in U.A.

"Costumes based on your quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started," All Might explained as all the kids cheered in joy.

"_Costumes huh. I doubt they'll see mine as very heroic. But Aizawa approved it so no one can say shit about it."_

After agreeing to meet in Ground Beta everyone rushed forward to change. Amaya stayed in the back watching her fellow classmates claw to get their case. Once everyone scattered through the doors she went and reached for her own case, 21.

As she made her way to the door, All Might stood before her.

"Young Hitachi, I know that life has been rather unfair towards you. Your classmates and teachers probably distrust and fear you and for that I apologize. However, it is here where you'll show them just how heroic you can be. Go out there and change their minds! Plus Ultra!" All Might cheered, patting Amaya on the back and lightly pushing her through the door. His _light_ push almost sent her sprawling if it wasn't for her cat-like agility. She looked back at him with the slightest blush on her cheeks from his encouragement and nodded determinedly.

She was going to show U.A. and the world what she was made of.

* * *

After finishing changing into her costume, she slowly walked out to see herself in the mirror. She wore a full black bodysuit that reached her neck. Unfortunately, the chunky shock collar had to remain on her person all the time, but she focused on the positives. Like the fact that the suit was made of synthetic stretch fabric equipped with micro-suction cups on her fingers and feet, enabling her to adhere to walls and ceilings. Her claws were covered in the same material, allowing her to scratch but preventing her from breaking them so easily.

She had two black pouches on both sides of her hips filled with small first aid equipment such as bandages, gauze, disinfectant and medical tape. She wore a black utility belt across her waist with places to carry knives, daggers and tear gas pellets. Her leather boots reached her knees where more knives were hidden.

On her back were two slings in the shape of an X to hold her katanas. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, her cat ears exposed as well as her tail. She had a black mask around her eyes that reached her nose, exaggerating the color of her gold irises and pink lips.

She exposed her wrists; the misty black cat tattoo was on full display. She hated seeing it and wondered if maybe showing that part of her was a mistake.

"_**Like it or not this could be useful one day. You can't hide what you really are."**_

Her mind taunted and she gritted her teeth, hating that a small part of her agreed.

Finally satisfied with her look, she headed out of the room and ran through the long corridor through large doors and regrouped with her class. Once she stepped outside, she realized the whole class had been waiting for her. Keeping her blush in check she remained stony-faced and walked to the side alone.

The class had stopped with their giddy compliments towards each other and turned to look at the cat-girl's costume. Some of the boys, mainly the class pervs Mineta and Deniki, felt their faces heat up at the tight suit Amaya wore. She was small and flat, but her costume worked well to show off her subtle curves and toned body.

Some of the girls thought she looked quite adorable with her cat ears and tail. Yet everyone had seemed to unintentionally agree about maintaining their distance and ignoring her. She looked harmless even with the badass costume, but if she was a Hitachi then she was definitely dangerous.

Iida and Uraraka felt guilty about their interaction with Amaya earlier and wanted to make it up to her. They both felt a bit hesitant without Midoriya, who was actually the last student they were waiting for but felt that they had to do this on their own. Midoriya could talk to Amaya alone no problem so they had to do it too.

"H-hey Amaya-chan. You look really cute in your costume!" Uraraka complimented, her voice shaky, body trembling slightly, but she looked Amaya in the eyes and even showed her a small grin.

"Your costume appears quite dynamic. It seems as though there are many compartments as well. Very well put together!" Iida continued looking straight at Amaya, stepping a bit closer to her.

Amaya stood there dumbfounded. Were these the same kids from earlier, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but near her? The change in attitudes puzzled her but she couldn't help but feel warmth build in her chest at their attempts.

Her eyes lit up even though she kept face neutral, nodding to them.

"Thank you Uraraka, Iida. I think your costumes suit you both well," Amaya responded, hoping that even with her monotonous voice they could hear that she was trying to be nice.

Before anything else could be said Midoriya burst through the doors with a wide smile on his face. Amaya could instantly tell that his green costume was supposed to imitate All Might and it was doing a very bad job at hiding that fact. She allowed a gentle smile to slip for a bit. His fanboy side was showing, and it reminded her of Kou.

Next to her Uraraka gasped, "Oh Deku-kun."

Midoriya turned and made his way to the three of them.

"Uraraka-chan! Iida-kun! A-Amaya-chan!" He exclaimed as he stopped and analyzed their costumes.

Midoriya couldn't help but blush at the girls' costumes, and felt his throat dry at trying to say something.

Trying to distract himself he noticed for the first time some kind of black drawing on Amaya's wrist.

"A-Amaya-chan I think your wrist is dirty," he pointed out, worriedly looking at her.

Amaya raised a brow before she realized what he meant. Immediately her eyes glazed over and her face converted into a scowl.

"It's my tattoo," she mumbled, leaving it at that but still hiding her wrist behind her back. The small group became very curious about how and why a 15 year old had a black cat tattoo, but after seeing how Amaya reacted, left the subject alone.

Before the atmosphere got too tense, Uraraka thankfully continued speaking.

"Anyways… That looks cool! Really down to earth," she complimented, indicating Midoriya's costume.

Uraraka shyly rubbed her head as she embarrassedly pointed out how tight her own costume was.

Not knowing how to respond, Midoriya floundered and Amaya decided to take pity on him.

"You guys should go to the front to listen to what All Might has to say," she offered, choosing to stay in the back.

Iida agreed and started making his way up with Uraraka following. Midoriya was about to as well when he looked at the unmoving Amaya.

"Let's go Amaya-chan!" Midoriya encouraged, smiling and offering his hand to her.

Everyone around them had become increasingly interested in their exchange for some reason. They gasped in shock at the nerd's hand reaching out to the cat girl.

"Isn't he scared of her?"

"Why is he offering his hand?!"

Amaya could hear the whispers and her eyes started to glaze over. Midoriya could hear them too and frowned watching as the light in her eyes started to dim. Without thinking he grasped her hand and pulled her with him before he could get embarrassed by his actions.

Amaya let out a small sound of surprise but let him pull her. If she really wanted to, she could have made him let her go but… she didn't want to.

Now standing in the front with Midoriya, who let go of her hand and immediately started apologizing for his sudden actions, Amaya felt herself smiling. Iida and Uraraka couldn't contain their surprised expressions at seeing the cat girl truly smile for the first time. It was different from the one she offered when she asked them to call her by her first name. It was so genuine and pretty and they both felt like it suited her more.

Grinning themselves, they gave her a thumbs up before everyone focused on All Might, already ignoring what occurred.

All Might smiled, proud of Midoriya and silently cheering for Amaya.

"_Young Midoriya I have a favor to ask you," All Might said, surprising Midoriya who just answered the phone. It was the first thing All Might said and since it was the night before his first day of school tomorrow, Midoriya instantly panicked._

"_Y-yes what is it All Might!" Midoriya replied, clutching the phone tightly due to his nerves._

"_Listen I know you have a lot on your plate right now. Learning how to control One for All and dealing with school isn't going to be easy. Yet I need you to try and do this for me," All Might continued, his voice pleading to Midoriya._

"_Anything All Might! I'll try my best!" Midoriya responded, waiting for his idol to explain the favor._

"_You will have a classmate in school that will need your help, young Midoriya. She is Amaya Hitachi, daughter of Scarlet Doll and Tamer…"_

_Midoriya gasped at hearing those names. He couldn't believe the daughter of two villains was going to attend U.A. and be in his class._

"_Based on your reaction I can tell you already know her parents' history. Look, I'm asking that you ignore that. This poor girl has gone through enough hate and will continue to go through it at U.A., no doubt. I know it'll be hard to face her, but she will need friends. People who won't fear her or treat her like a villain. I know that this is a lot to ask of you and I'm not saying you have to be best friends with the girl but please try and look out for her," All Might pleaded, his voice filled with pain and sympathy._

_Midoriya couldn't wrap his head around the idea. He knew it wasn't fair that she was being treated this way but a small part of him couldn't just ignore her lineage. She was a __**Hitachi**__. She could be extremely dangerous. But if All Might was asking him to look after her, he would try. He couldn't promise anything, but he would try his best._

"_I promise to try my best and watch after her All Might!"_

"_Thank you, Young Midoriya."_

Smiling brightly at the students in the front, All Might couldn't help but be proud of his disciple. This class was going to be special; he knew it. So, turning to the rest of the class with new-found energy, he puffed out his chest and pointed to the training grounds, raising his hearty voice.

"Now it's time for combat training!"


	4. Three

After explaining the exercise, with Amaya almost laughing at All Might for having to take out a script at some point because he got overwhelmed with the students' questions, she wondered how today would play out.

This training was to be indoors, and the class was going to be split into heroes and villains who had to fight against each other in pairs. The situation was that the villains had a nuclear weapon hidden somewhere in their _hideout_, and the heroes had to dispose of that. For the heroes to win they had to either catch both villains or get the nuclear weapon back within the allotted time. The villains, in turn, had to protect the weapon the whole time or capture the heroes.

Amaya sighed and waited for everyone to get a slip before she did. She saw that Midoriya and Uraraka had been paired up together, which made her inwardly smile since they both seemed happy with the result, but Iida was unfortunately stuck with Bakugo.

After everyone had grabbed a slip Amaya quietly went up to All Might and grabbed her own.

It was blank.

Amaya sighed. She should've expected that considering the class had an odd number of students. Still, she couldn't believe she actually got the blank slip, she really didn't have any luck.

All Might looked down at the small girl and felt the urge to hug her. Her face might've been blank, but he could see the pain in her eyes. The want to belong somewhere. He placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking the girl from her quiet state of distress.

"Alright has everyone found their partners?" He asked and watched as the class nodded.

"Young Hitachi you shall battle twice today. You will first join group A and then join group I. Think you can handle it?" All Might looked down at the teen who looked back and nodded in fierce determination.

All Might smiled and clapped loudly. While he felt bad the girl would have to fight twice, he hoped this would allow her the chance to show her class her skills and give her two opportunities to make new friends.

"Good! The first teams to fight will be… these guys!" All Might yelled, holding up two balls with the letter A and D written separately.

"Team A will be the heroes and Team D will be the villains," All Might explained. Amaya was shocked to hear her name and the word hero associated but she didn't let herself dwell on the thought.

She looked to Team A and sighed in relief when she saw she was with Uraraka and Midoriya. However, her face changed to concern when she noticed how pale Midoriya became. Looking over she saw that Team D was Bakugo and Iida.

"_Oh… well this is going to make things interesting."_

Amaya felt a smidge of worry about her competition but ignored it and walked over to Uraraka and Midoriya. Uraraka gave her a small smile but Midoriya was too busy having a staring contest with Bakugo to acknowledge her. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on Midoriya's shoulder, turning his eyes away from Bakugo's gaze.

"A-ah A-Amaya-chan! You're in our group? That's great!" Midoriya squeaked out, he was looking at her, but his focus was not completely there.

Nodding, Amaya turned to look at Bakugo who glared at her before scoffing and turning his attention back to All Might.

"The villain team will go in first and set up. In five minutes, the hero team will break in and the battle will start."

Everyone nodded and walked over to the building. As All Might explained to Team D about getting into their roles, Amaya kept her gaze on Midoriya who was pacing. She didn't know much about him or Bakugo, and she definitely didn't know anything about their relationship, but she hoped it wouldn't interfere with the assignment.

After the two _villains_ entered the building, Amaya and her team were given the building's layout.

"It's a lot of work to memorize the building's floor plan," Uraraka sighed, "but All Might is just the same as when he's on TV. Unlike Aizawa-sensei, it looks like there's no punishment so we can relax—"

"He's not relaxed," Amaya interrupted bluntly, staring at the sweating Midoriya.

Uraraka gasped and her face filled with worry. Amaya continued to stare feeling slight concern but keeping her cool on the outside.

"Well it's because… We're up against Kacchan…"

_"Who the hell is Kacchan?" _Amaya wondered, her face betraying her and showing her confusion.

"And there's Iida, too, so I feel like I need to be on guard…" Midoriya's shaky voice explained.

"_He calls blondie Kacchan? That's such a cute nickname for such an angry guy."_

"I see. Bakugo's the one who makes fun of you, right?" Uraraka questioned, staring at Midoriya with sympathy.

At that moment Midoriya stopped shaking and had a mixed look of pride and sadness.

"He's amazing… He's a piece of work but his goal, his confidence, his physical strength and his quirk are way more amazing than mine," Midoriya revealed in a soft tone.

"_Midoriya really admires this guy."_

Amaya and Uraraka looked at each other wondering how to respond to that when Midoriya stood up straight.

"But that's why right now," he fixed his mask and his eyes hardened, "I don't want… to lose…"

Amaya felt her eyes widen at the sudden strength and determination Midoriya's eyes held. Uraraka smiled and pushed herself off the rail and looked at Midoriya with a soft smile.

"A fated battle between men, huh?" Uraraka announced looking right at Midoriya.

All at once Midoriya returned to his nervous state, fidgeting and saying "Oh, sorry Uraraka-chan and Amaya-chan, this isn't either of your problems."

Amaya gave Midoriya a soft stare and shook her head.

"You're wrong. We're a team. Meaning your problem is our problem," Amaya spoke, surprising her group and herself at her words.

"**_Ugh you're getting soft."_**

Uraraka nodded, smiling wider now.

"Let's do our best!" Uraraka cheered, raising a fist up to the sky.

Midoriya looked shocked but smiled brightly back at the two girls.

"Now let's start the indoor person-to-person combat training with Team A and Team D!" All Might's voice announced, scaring the three from their little moment.

The three nodded at each other and proceeded to use the open window near the side of the building to enter.

"Infiltration successful!" Uraraka quietly cheered.

Midoriya nodded, cautiously moving forward with Amaya, who was stretching her ears waiting for any abrupt noises.

"There are a lot of blind spots, so let's be careful," Midoriya said, leading the way with Amaya and Uraraka quietly following him. As they ventured further into the building Amaya gazed at Midoriya's back. For someone so anxious, he had no problem taking control of the situation and keeping calm. He actually looked pretty cool to Amaya.

**_"Focus dumbass! You don't need these two idiots. Worry about blondie. Based on everything you know he hates broccoli boy over here and will probably come and attack him. He might be really smart, but something tells me it's going to be different."_**

Amaya frowned at the voice in her head, but she had to agree with that analysis.

"_If Bakugo really only cares about fighting Midoriya then he probably won't even care if Uraraka and I escape by him to catch the weapon. But would it be better to help Uraraka or Midoriya?"_

As Amaya started to get lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the extra footsteps near her group.

_Almost_.

Ears twitching, she instinctively pulled Midoriya back behind her by his neck and pushed Uraraka away with her other hand.

Bakugo, who had been aiming for Midoriya, hit the wall instead. Amaya stood before him ready to protect her teammates, who she unintentionally pushed to the ground in her surprise.

"Are you guys good?" Amaya asked, keeping her eyes trained on Bakugo, who glared at her. She heard her teammates get up behind her and heard their thanks for defending them.

"Oi little bitch, don't defend that nerd. This fight is between him and I. If you get in my way, I'll destroy you too," Bakugo snarled, his voice surprisingly not loud but certainly angry. Amaya felt her face harden and she kept herself between the two boys.

"I figured you'd come for me first," Midoriya said, walking to stand next to Amaya.

Bakugo moved fast and started running towards the two with his hand poised, ready to attack. Amaya sensed his next move, but before she could do anything Midoriya pushed her away. He grabbed Bakugo's arm, straining but eventually flipping the blond over his shoulder. Bakugo slammed to the ground, a gasp of shock and pain escaping him.

"Kacchan… You usually start with a big right swing. Don't you know how much I've been watching you? I wrote an analysis for all the heroes I thought were amazing in my notebook," Midoriya panted, looking at the floor.

Suddenly Bakugo looked up with a glare so fierce Amaya actually stepped back. Midoriya proudly announced, "My 'Deku' isn't always going to mean 'useless'! Kacchan… My 'Deku' means 'you can do it'!"

Uraraka gasped and Amaya couldn't help but smile widely at his proclamation.

"_I know who I'm helping now."_

Because of the way Midoriya threw him, Bakugo had his back facing Uraraka and Amaya was to his right. He didn't even glance at the girls, his entire focus was on Midoriya.

Amaya's ears twitched as she heard a faint buzzing noise coming from Bakugo.

"_It's his earpiece. Too bad my hearing isn't good enough to hear whatever Iida is saying."_

Bakugo harshly spoke into the quiet, "Just shut up and defend. I'm really angry right now!"

Bakugo was answering Iida and by the looks of it Iida didn't know what was happening based on Bakugo's response.

"_Oh yea, this wild card didn't tell his teammate shit. This is our chance!"_

Immediately Amaya turned and ran beside Bakugo, grabbing Uraraka's wrist and pushing ahead.

"We're trusting you to defeat Bakugo! Prove to him what Deku really means!" Amaya shouted, not bothering to see Midoriya's or Bakugo's reactions.

The unexpected faith and encouragement warmed Midoriya and caused a faint blush to spread across his cheeks. Bakugo growled and turned to quickly glare at the small girl's retreating form before locking his gaze back on Midoriya.

Those words pissed him off and he was going to show that cat-girl and everyone else just how weak Deku really was.

* * *

After running a safe distance away Amaya finally let go of the heavily breathing Uraraka.

"Sorry for grabbing you all of a sudden," Amaya softly apologized before taking a step away from the girl and walking slowly ahead.

Uraraka shook her head and quickly reached out to the shorter girl's shoulder. "Amaya-chan it's fine. We're teammates so I trust you too."

Amaya stared in honest puzzlement. Uraraka brightly smiled at her the way she did with Midoriya. She wasn't shaking like before or acting hesitant. She even purposely touched her and didn't move her hand away, squeezing Amaya's shoulder in comfort instead.

Uraraka could see the surprise displayed across Amaya's face and felt bad it took her so long to feel comfortable around the cat-girl. Amaya really wasn't bad. She was quiet, blunt, but unexpectedly nice and very determined. Now knowing this she pushed her guilt aside and instead focused on being the smaller girl's friend.

"We're going to go after Iida-kun right? But are you sure it's okay to leave Deku-kun by himself? With Bakugo no less?" Uraraka asked, worry evident in her brown eyes.

Shaking herself from her stupor Amaya nodded.

"Mi-**Deku** _has_ to be the one to fight Bakugo. Even though I want to interfere, Deku _needs_ to do this. So, let's just worry about capturing Iida and taking the weapon back!" Amaya explained before moving forward with Uraraka. The two said nothing more, and the silence that followed felt comfortable.

"_This is the first in a very long time since I've felt relaxed in another girl's presence, and one that's my age at that."_

"_**Stop it with that shit. Focus on beating speedo and getting the weapon."**_

Ears twitching, Amaya could hear Iida pacing away in a room a couple of doors down. Amaya stopped suddenly and turned toward Uraraka, who almost crashed into her.

"Can you just remind me how your quirk works?" Amaya asked, her voice and face flat.

"Amaya I'm not offended but how do you not know what it is? We **both** literally participated in a **quirk** test yesterday. Hehehe..." Uraraka began laughing, grabbing onto the wall to keep herself upright.

Amaya furrowed her brows in pure puzzlement at the quiet giggles escaping Uraraka's mouth, beyond confused.

"S-sorry Amaya-chan it's just that your blank face and tone don't suit you at all. You're so small and adorable that your attitude is a funny thing to see," Uraraka confessed, smiling brightly towards a fiercely blushing Amaya.

Uraraka instantly felt the urge to hug the girl for that unexpected innocent reaction but held off considering they still had to build their friendship a bit more.

"Anyways my quirk allows me to manipulate gravity such as making objects weightless or float. I can even make myself fly but if I do that for too long, I'll get nauseous and possibly vomit," Uraraka explained progressively getting more embarrassed as she had to explain the weak points of her quirk.

Amaya nodded and took that into account for her plan.

"Okay. I have tear gas pellets on my belt, but I don't think that'll necessarily work on Iida, especially if he has his metal helmet on. Either way it can provide you a bit of cover. I'll fight him and distract him from the device while you use your quirk to make yourself and it fly. We don't have much time so let's try our best," Amaya stated, her tone straightforward and lacking emotion. However, her eyes were lit up and Uraraka felt the determination coming off the smaller girl.

"I'm just going to inform Deku to keep distracting Bakugo and that we have an idea to capture the weapon," Amaya explained, briefly informing Deku of the plan in case he was busy fighting. With his quick agreement and encouragement, the girls felt ready.

"Let's do this!" Uraraka quietly cheered, smiling brightly.

Nodding, the girls silently crept up, arriving right around the corner from where Iida was.

Iida was talking to himself and Amaya knew this was her chance. Giving Uraraka one last glance she threw the tear gas pellets and ran forwards with a loud battle cry, surprising him hopefully enough to make him forget about Uraraka.

"What's happening?!" Iida cried out in surprise. Using his confusion to her advantage, Amaya ran forward as fast as she could before jumping and bringing her arm down at Iida. He managed to use his jets to get away but not before her claws scratched his metal chest.

"Surprise attack! That's not very hero-like! Yet it does not matter for I will not let you take this weapon, naive hero!" Iida chanted, taking on a fighting stance as he looked down at Amaya.

"_He's really taking this villain thing seriously," _both girls thought.

Amaya didn't respond and instead ran forward, jumping into the air, hoping to scratch Iida again. He predicted her action, moving to the right before swinging his left hook at her. She felt the wind of his punch near her and blocked his attack before flipping backwards and landing in a cat-crouch.

Not wanting to look up and give away Uraraka's position, Amaya decided she would focus on hand to hand combat. She only hoped that her messy fast attacks would distract Iida.

She threw punches at him left and right, moving in and out of the way each time he tried to counter. While she couldn't really land any hits, he definitely couldn't touch her. She moved fast and her flexibility and agility let her attack from extreme looking positions. The ground would shake sometimes but she had faith in Midoriya and so she kept pushing forward, using the unstable ground to her advantage whenever she could.

Iida, slightly amazed at how fast she was attacking him, wondered about her training. She was good at evading him, it was like she was dancing, all her movements were graceful. It left him a bit confused, her defense was amazing so why was her offensive so sloppy and disorderly? Something about that just felt off to him. Intuitively his gaze shot up above him, and he saw Uraraka right above the weapon. Before he could move Amaya pounced at him and used all her weight to effectively pin him down. It was quite a feat considering her small stature, but his surprise certainly helped. At the same time Uraraka dropped onto the nuclear device, touching it and lifting it to the air.

Instantly All Might's voice called out, "Hero team wins!"

* * *

The fight was over, and Amaya smiled slightly before straightening up. She held her hand to Iida who took it before standing himself. He used more force than she was expecting, and she crashed into his chest knocking them back onto the floor.

"I apologize Hitachi-san! I knew you were lighter than me, but I did not realize that you could not lift me up just yourself. Instead your hand was merely a friendly gesture!" Iida exclaimed moving up quickly and literally **lifting** the petite girl onto her feet.

Amaya bit her lip to stop the stupid squeak that wanted to escape and just nodded.

_**"****He called you weak moron."**_

Amaya scowled as she realized he unintentionally did call her weak.

_"He's not wrong."_

She sighed and looked back at Iida's defeated face.

"Good job," she muttered, before pausing as she recalled what name he just said. "And please, I know it might be awkward but call me Amaya."

She then hurried over to a pale but smiling Uraraka, missing the faint blush on Iida's face.

"Sorry Uraraka I should've checked on you first. You're my teammate and I knew what floating in the air for too long did to you. I should've rushed right over considering all the pain you had to endure," Amaya apologized, shame filling her eyes.

Uraraka softly shook her head before weakly laughing.

"You're very kind Amaya-chan. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine soon enough. Besides, your plan worked perfectly! You distracted Iida enough for me to float over and touch the weapon. If it weren't for my flying being so slow you wouldn't have had to fight him off for so long," Uraraka said her voice growing softer as she self-deprecated her quirk.

Without thinking Amaya squeezed the girl's shoulder just like Uraraka did earlier and shook her head.

"We only won because you actually touched the weapon. Give yourself more credit," she said before helping Uraraka up and leading her back towards the class, Iida quietly following them.

Before they could move forward the whole building shook and the floors broke apart. Amaya reacted fast, pushing her classmates out of the way, getting a bit of the floor, and ceiling too technically, barely missing her shoulder.

All three, confused, looked down through the holes that were created and saw a statue looking Bakugo and a passed out Midoriya on the bottom floor.

Her emotions getting the better of her, Amaya jumped down into the holes, Uraraka and Iida screaming her name in surprise.

She used the poles that stuck out from the floor/ceiling to slow down her fast momentum. She bent her knees and landed on the floor near the two teens quietly and in crouch position. Like a cat she always managed to land on her feet.

Ignoring Bakugo she rushed to check on Midoriya, landing next to him and checking his weak pulse.

She couldn't inspect him more as a robo-nurse lifted his unconscious body and moved toward the school.

Amaya, ready to run after them, stopped at All Might's voice through her ear devices.

"Relax Young Hitachi, Midoriya will be fine. You have to come back here; you might have won this battle, but you still have one more left," he explained hoping to have calmed the girl down a bit. While everyone else remained perplexed at the dangerous stunt the small teen performed just to check on their classmate, All Might understood her rash actions. It was very simple; she was worried. Her eyes betrayed her every time. Her face could be a mask of indifference, but her eyes screamed concern and fear.

Midoriya was one of the few people to be kind to her and now he was hurt. It wasn't illogical for her to be worried.

Slowly she moved forward, looking back to see that Bakugo was silently following too. His eyes were glazed over, he was looking ahead but it felt like he wasn't really seeing anything right now.

She was very curious about what just happened. She knew Midoriya had used his power because his arm looked just like his finger did yesterday. Purple and broken. However, they both should've stopped fighting when All Might declared the winners. They didn't and she wanted to know why. Yet when she looked at Bakugo again she knew he wouldn't tell her so giving up for now she quietly entered the room where her fellow classmates were and hoped she could visit Midoriya soon.

* * *

The rest of the class was quiet, looking at her strangely. Some were muttering about how the _heroes_, excluding Amaya, looked worse for wear than the _villains_.

Silently agreeing with them, she moved to the back watching a wobbly Uraraka lean against a panicking Iida.

When All Might returned everyone straightened up, including Uraraka who looked like she was going to pass out right there.

"Well, even if team A won, the MVPs for this battle were Young Iida and Young Hitachi!"

The class gasped in shock, unable to believe how the _villain_ or Iida was an MVP.

Amaya herself looked confused at the results, wondering if All Might had any validation to this claim.

"That is because Iida adapted the most out to the context of the training. From watching the match, it appears that Bakugo acted on his own because of an obviously personal grudge. And as All Might-sensei said earlier, it is foolish to launch a large scale attack indoors. It's the same way, taking into consideration the damage that he received, Midoriya's plan was also rash. As for Uraraka, while she did complete her mission, if it weren't for Hitachi's plan to distract Iida, I doubt she would have captured the weapon herself. Seeing her now proves that Uraraka struggled to touch the weapon without Hitachi's offensive attack."

Yaoyorozu calmly explained, avoiding looking at Amaya and continuing, "The hero team only won because Hitachi became the decoy. Though honestly, considering that Bakugo and Midoriya continued to fight even after the winner's announcement was made shows how immature some of the students are; some are **unfit** to be a hero."

She finished looking directly at Amaya who forced her face to remain stoic. Everyone in the class quieted throughout Yaoyorozu explanations and All Might didn't know how to go on from there besides awkwardly agreeing with the tall girl, ignoring the last part.

"All right everyone, let's change locations and start the second match. Tackle this training after thinking about what we just talked about!"

* * *

"Match two! Team B are the heroes, and Team I are the villains," All Might proclaimed looking at Amaya who did nothing more than nod and join the _villains_.

"Hah, that's more fitting for her."

Amaya stiffened a bit having heard someone whisper that, her face remained unaffected, but her ears drooped.

Meeting up with Ojiro, a young man of muscular build with short blond hair and a long tail with a hairy tip, and Hagakure an invisible girl, Amaya saw as Ojiro froze and Hagakure's gloved hands trembled.

Fighting off the urge to roll her eyes, Amaya fixed them with her best _friendly_ looking face. Which was just her regular blank face with the corners of her mouth twitching, scaring Hagakure more than before.

"Listen I get that you guys are scared of me but let's not fail this because of a lack of teamwork," Amaya offered and after a moment's hesitation Ojiro smiled gently back at her.

"I agree. Let's do our best Hitachi-san, Hagakure-san," Ojiro softly agreed, nodding at both girls.

"Y-yea Hitachi-chan! Even though I'm a bit intimidated right now you don't seem so mean so I'll place my faith in you! Let's win this!" Hagakure cheered and Amaya felt a hand tug at her arm.

Face lighting up she gave an awkward thumbs up to her teammates before glancing over at Team B.

Heterochromia eyes glared right at her and Amaya couldn't help but let her own gold eyes transform into menacing slits.

_"It's on."_

* * *

The group of three were on the fourth floor planning out their strategy to defeat the _heroes_.

"Ojiro-kun, Hitachi-chan I'm going to get serious. I'll take off my gloves and boots too!" Hagakure cheerfully exclaimed, removing her gloves.

"Hold on Hagakure. Shoji's quirk allows him to make multiple body parts appear right? Or something like that? If that's true then his hearing is probably the same as or even better than mine, meaning he'll hear you even if you take your shoes off. Plus, I have a feeling you'll need them on," Amaya explained, questioning whether she was actually looking at Hagakure in the eyes.

"Okay! I believe in you Hitachi-chan," Hagakure giggled leaving Amaya flushing. How was it so easy for this girl to trust her? She was shaking not even ten minutes ago when she saw Amaya. Students at U.A. were certainly weird.

Amaya's ears twitched as she felt something coming. Reacting fast, she grabbed Hagakure and jumped high, ice spreading just underneath their feet.

"Oh wow, that was really close! Good hearing Hitachi-chan. Oh no! Ojiro-kun!" Hagakure rushed forwards to Ojiro who unfortunately got stuck on the ice.

Before he could try and break free Amaya stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that; the ice seems really cold. I think you'll just hurt yourself if you move," she spoke, her breath coming out in white puffs. Her tail wrapped around her arm for warmth and she saw Hagakure's gloves shaking.

"_Damn his ice is cold. This won't be easy."_

Ears perking up once more, she looked over to see the surprised face of Todoroki. Acting quickly, she took out her katana and ran towards him. She swiped down at his chest with the blunt side of the katana using all her might.

He moved back at the last second and glared at her.

"I was hoping to do this the easy way. You should stop now before you get hurt," Todoroki glared, his voice quiet but irritated.

Smirking, Amaya used her leg to swipe at his feet, catching him off guard. He fell to the ground but rolled away when she pounced. Growling, she kicked up high aiming for his face, but he grabbed her foot and used it to throw her into the nearby wall.

She slid down groaning and saw Hagakure's gloves and white tape in her peripheral. Hagakure was near Todoroki but not close enough to capture him. Yet. Amaya prayed that Hagakure was looking at her as she nodded at the empty space.

Screaming a loud and distracting battle cry, she used the wall to jump off and appear high above Todoroki. He brought his right arm up and shot ice towards her, attempting to trap her on the ceiling. While she wasn't expecting that onslaught of ice, her katana was poised in front of her body and managed to cut just enough of it off for her to escape.

Bursting through the sheet of ice, Amaya slid her katanas back into their sleeves and let her body fall mid-air. No one saw as she grabbed and threw small knives at Todoroki. Those small knives caught him by the fabric of his shirt, throwing off his momentum but not pinning him to the floor like she hoped to because of the dumb ice protecting his other side.

"Nice try. But it'll take much more than petty knife attacks to bring me down," Todoroki taunted as he moved his hand to pull at the knife.

Amaya's tail swayed side to side as her gold eyes lit in amusement. "Arrogance will be your downfall. You should learn to humble yourself before you turn out like **him**."

Face scowling, Todoroki couldn't retort because he felt a presence behind him and with incredible speed stuck out his hand and froze a squealing Hagakure in her place.

Hissing, Amaya tried to catch him off guard, but he turned at the same moment and slammed his foot down. She jumped to the side, sheathing her sword and quickly crawled up the wall trying to maintain some distance between the two.

"_Shit. He's really good. At this pace we'll tie. I need to do something, time's running out."_

Amaya let herself free fall when she saw Todoroki's arm strike out again; the bastard was fast and created an ice slide, catching Amaya off guard. She reached for her knives, but he grabbed her wrists and flipped her over. Thankful for her flexibility, she wrapped her legs around his waist in a guard position making him stumble.

They both landed on the floor harshly, tangled in each other's limbs. Amaya squeezed her legs as hard as she could hoping to hurt him just enough to give her time to reach for her knives, but they could barely close around him. Todoroki looked as if he barely felt anything. His weight was keeping her down, so she used her tail to blind him.

Eyes blazing in frustration, Todoroki let out a loud growl and twisted his body enough to get a hand free. He iced her tail causing her to quietly cry out before slamming that same hand hard into her shoulder, pushing her straight into the ground. Not wasting any more time, he froze her in that position.

Amaya bit her lip to keep in the painful whimpers she felt and tried to think of a way out, but it was too late.

"Times up! Heroes win!" All Might's voice rang throughout the building.

Amaya's chest filled with rage and regret for not winning, but she wasn't about to lose her composure like that. She'd still have some dignity and she begrudgingly had to admit that Todoroki was a formidable opponent. So instead of looking like a grumpy cat she took a breath and blew a strand of hair out of her face, shivering and waiting for Todoroki to unfreeze her.

Her teammates didn't speak, only their shivers and the sizzle of ice melting could be heard. Once Hagakure and Ojiro were freed, they remained quiet and moved towards the doors, patiently waiting for Amaya. Todoroki kept a blank face as he turned toward the cat girl on the floor. He gritted his teeth just the slightest, defeating her shouldn't have been as hard as it was.

As he melted the ice, Amaya couldn't keep her comments to herself. "You know for an asshole you're pretty strong."

She couldn't even begin to understand why she did that. But even she couldn't deny he was powerful, and the words just escaped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"_**Yea just like his father."**_

He didn't respond and remained mostly unfazed except for the confusion in his eyes. What was with this cat-girl? He only knew as much as everyone else did about her family and reputation. He wasn't wrong in calling her the child of villains, but he could see why that'd come off as an insult. Still… the way she stared at him in class unnerved him. Then she reminded him of his annoying father which really pissed him off. He didn't need friends and so having someone hate him wasn't an issue, he didn't care either way. So then why the hell was she randomly complimenting him?

She didn't get it either. She had just lost to him even after her promise. What the hell was wrong with her?

"_**Don't forget what his father did to Kou, you idiot. You already failed him by losing this match. I can't believe how weak you are, to think I actually believed you could do this alone."**_

"_Shut up, he's strong and it sucks that I lost to him, but I don't get it. He doesn't look happy, it's strange, he's strange. He might be his __**father's **__son, but Todoroki didn't actually do anything. Yea he was an ass earlier, but he never hurt Kou," _her mind argued, also reminding Amaya of a very important lesson. She felt the slightest bit of guilt for doing what everyone always did to her.

They weren't their parents. She had to remember that; she wasn't about to apologize but she could at least not act like a total bitch.

"You know I thought for sure you would've used your other quirk. So even with just ice you defeated us. Imagine how strong you'd be at full power," she continued, eyes softening after her internal realization. However, she noticed how his expression darkened at the mention of his left side.

"Shut up. You know nothing about me and hearing you speak is annoying," Todoroki responded, eyes flaring at her words. He needed to focus on becoming number one by only using his mother's quirk, he didn't have time for a confusing brooding girl and her weird remarks.

She didn't have the chance to respond because the ice heated up so much that it became liquified and drenched her. Without meaning too she reacted just like her animal counterpart. She yelped, jumping up hissing and trying to get rid of the wet feeling.

Looking up, she saw Todoroki's eyes bright with sadistic mirth. That asshole totally did that on purpose! He could've made the ice into vapor, but he didn't!

Face red, she hissed at him, shoving his arm and walking past him. Damn him and damn her for trying to be nice and relate with him. He really was just a bastard after all, and she just needed to ignore him.

Todoroki couldn't help but do that, wanting to get a reaction out of her. Seeing her angry was definitely new since the serious girl always kept a blank face. Plus, he was angry at her for mentioning his father and left side. He didn't even know how she knew who his father was, but he supposed it couldn't be too hard to figure it out. It was frustrating, he'd never been so affected by some girl and her words before. It pissed him off with how she insulted him in the beginning and then complimented him now. She was definitely fickle and while his curiosity was piqued at her disdain towards his father, he let that go because his goal was to beat everyone, including her.

He used that as an explanation as to why he felt the strange swell of pride form in his chest after making the stoic girl so flustered.

* * *

Returning to the rest of her class, Amaya didn't know what she should ignore, the disgusting wet feeling of her costume sticking to her or the slightest feeling of intimidation she felt from all the stares she was receiving. The strangest part was that for once they weren't looking at her in fear or disgust but in awe.

Moving to the back, she ignored their whispers when Uraraka and Iida appeared before her.

"You were so good Amaya-chan! Todoroki's super strong I doubt anyone would've won against him," Uraraka complimented, smiling widely at the shorter girl.

Iida nodded adding his own comment, "Yes you did very well. Your calm composure and ability to strategize is quite admirable!"

"But I lost," Amaya bluntly stated, surprised by the praise. She looked at the pair in confusion and tugged at her ear in annoyance for that fact.

"It doesn't matter! You still did really good!" Uraraka exclaimed, making the cat girl awkwardly nod and fight off a blush from the sudden compliment.

Thankfully no one else could talk to her since there were still more battles to go. She was upset she lost but she focused on worrying about Midoriya. She really wanted to check on him, but All Might told her in passing that it'd be in her best interest to just wait until the end of the day.

Sighing, she focused on her classmates' battles, oblivious to the heated stare one blond male was giving her.

* * *

"Good work everyone! We didn't have any major injuries other than Young Midoriya, either! You guys took this on seriously, you all did a good job for your first training!" All Might cheered, throwing a big thumbs up along with his bright smile.

Amaya ignored whatever was said next, anxious to check up on Midoriya. However, before she could All Might's voice stopped her.

"Well then, I must review the results with Young Midoriya. Change and return to the classroom, that means you too, Young Hitachi! You can visit Midoriya after school!" Without waiting for a response, he ran off leaving the class in the dust.

Scowling, Amaya turned to walk towards her changing room as fast as she could. Putting on her uniform once more and tucking away her costume, she quickly entered the classroom to return her case.

Unfortunately, she was the last one out and had to wait for everyone to file theirs first. What felt like forever soon came to an end and after hanging her costume back she ran out the doors, towards the nurse's office not caring about Iida's voice that tried to stop her.

Almost crashing into the green haired boy, himself, Amaya luckily stopped, standing a few inches in front of him.

"Amaya-chan! W-what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the classroom! Well I mean the day is almost over so I guess you could be heading home too. But still!" Midoriya panicked frantically.

Amaya felt her lips twitch into a smile, she was glad he wasn't too injured, he could still ramble.

"You passed out and your arm was broken. I felt concerned and wanted to make sure you were alright," she quietly explained, rubbing her arm in embarrassment, shy of her own actions.

"_**Ugh you're letting dumb emotions overtake you. This is so gross."**_

Ignoring that voice Amaya focused on Midoriya's soft expression.

"Thank you Amaya-chan, I'm okay, Recovery Girl did the best that she could do for now. How did your other fight go?" Midoriya asked with a gentle smile that left Amaya feeling a bit disgruntled.

"It was fine, I need to work harder but that's always the case with fights. You should go back to the class now, everyone wants to speak with you," Amaya dismissed, starting to head back herself. She heard Midoriya laugh a bit to himself and the two walked to class in comfortable silence.

As soon as he opened the door Midoriya was bombarded with compliments and questions. Amaya smiled to herself and walked to her desk leaving the poor embarrassed Midoriya by himself.

She looked up when all the chatter stopped and saw Midoriya staring at where Bakugo usually sat, his expression unreadable. The next second he rushed out of the classroom, and the rest of the class shouted after him.

Amaya didn't know what was happening, but she had a feeling that Midoriya and Bakugo's fight meant a lot more than anyone knew. She just hoped Midoriya would be okay and got her stuff to leave.

As she walked out the doors, she felt heat on the back of her neck. She turned over and had to embarrassedly look up to meet Todoroki's own eyes, _damn him for being tall_. He stared directly at her, gaze never faltering. Amaya held it but eventually had to drop it, unused to looking people in the eyes for so long. She quickly hurried out trying not to scowl and letting him see just how he affected her.

Instead of heading towards the gates like everyone, she walked toward the teachers' lounge looking for Aizawa. Thankfully he was asleep in his yellow sleeping bag by his desk.

Letting an uncharacteristic giggle out, Amaya went near him and poked his cheek.

Without opening his eyes Aizawa groaned and swatted her hand away.

"I don't like waking you, but the day is over, and you can sleep more comfortably at home," Amaya stated in a soft tone, her eyes gazing at his tired form.

Silently Aizawa got up and collected his things. Quietly both headed home, peacefully enjoying the atmosphere.

"How'd you do in All Might's class today?" Aizawa eventually questioned, only looking at the small girl through his peripheral vision.

Amaya didn't know how to respond. While she did win one battle, she lost the other so using that would just cancel each other out.

Still she did know one thing that she could say with confidence, "I think people are going to start taking me seriously."

Aizawa smirked and roughly messed up her black hair, mindful of her ears.

"About damn time."


	5. Four

The next day as Amaya walked towards U.A. she noticed a huge crowd surrounding the entrance. Noticing the cameras, she immediately recognized them as the press and hid her cat features. She hoped they couldn't speak to her and prayed no one noticed her or her shock collar.

"_**Goddamn press! Once they recognize you it's all over!"**_

Her mind unhelpfully supplied. Amaya shook the negative thoughts away and instinctively hid her features. Hoping that would be enough, she cautiously approached the crowd.

Instantly half of them turned towards her and a bunch of microphones and lights were shoved in her face.

"Hey kid, what can you tell me about All Might? What kind of teacher is he?" Some random lady questioned, pushing her microphone closer to Amaya's face.

Before she could even retort somebody gasped.

"Look at the girl's neck! That's a shock collar!"

Everyone that was close to her backed up real quick.

"Wait those gold eyes, that black hair! It's Amaya Hitachi! Daughter of Scarlet Doll and Tamer!" Somebody shouted out in fear.

The scared press left a distance between themselves and the cat girl. However, one woman, the same one that was shoving a microphone in Amaya's face from before, stepped closer.

"What's a villain's kid doing here at U.A.? Are you a spy for your parents? Does the government know you're here? Do these kids' parents know?" The lady asked enraged, glaring darkly at Amaya.

Amaya let her features show and wrapped her tail around her arm. She schooled her face into one of indifference, but she didn't know how to respond.

She tried to walk away but the reporter reached out and gripped her arm tightly.

"Someone call the police, this criminal shouldn't be out here, especially so close to upcoming heroes," she bit out, her grip starting to bruise Amaya.

Amaya felt the urge to hiss but she knew that would get her shocked so instead she avoided their gaze trying to think of something while also praying for some type of help.

"_**Maybe I should give them something to really be scared of…"**_

"_No way in hell."_

They started shouting, their words attacking her ears and disorienting her. She felt the slightest panic enter her but tried to calm it down, this has happened to her before she just needed to relax.

"_Relax dammit!"_

It wasn't working, the words started becoming static and she felt her heart quickening. She hated this, feeling so weak and helpless. She hadn't been in the press's spotlight in a while and didn't want them to see her like this. Surprisingly the harsh grip was the only thing gripping her to reality at the moment. Then she saw it.

Red pupils. They were narrowed in disgust as they scanned the press but once they landed back on her that changed to unbridled glee. His pale blue hair covered most of his expression, but those eyes chilled her back into the moment. She let a small gasp escape and then the panic returned tenfold. Was she hallucinating? Who was that? She felt herself getting smaller and was seconds away from clawing at the crowd when she felt herself be tugged and pushed behind a strong and tall back.

"Unless you want to be charged by the authorities for child endangerment, I suggest you all be quiet," Aizawa's voice threatened. His face remained neutral, but his tone was menacing. The lady looked offended by Aizawa's treatment and scowled at him.

"That animal shouldn't be here! Who let her in!" The reporter demanded, others agreeing in the background.

Trying to keep his cool, Aizawa gently placed his hand on Amaya's shoulder and turned her away from the press.

"You are disturbing the classes. Please leave," is all he said before guiding Amaya into the school.

He heard protests but ignored them and focused on Amaya's rigid form. Her breathing was coming out in quiet pants and her hands were trembling as they gripped her tail.

Aizawa resisted the urge to attack all those reporters and instead turned her over and gripped her shoulders in a gentle but firm hold.

"Hey. Don't listen to those stupid reporters. They just want a story. You deserve to be here. You know that," he gruffly said before giving her a soft smile.

"Wait but that means that now the press does know that I'm attending this school. What if they swarm me after school? What if they follow me home and realize I live with you? What if-" Amaya paused her fast dialogue as soon as she registered Aizawa's hand patting her head, patiently waiting for her to calm down. Amaya took deep breaths and nodded, signaling that she could breathe and wasn't about to go on another rant.

"Look kid it was going to come out eventually. I'm sorry it had to be this way but don't worry about it. You'll be okay and so will I," Aizawa explained, slowly placing his hand back to his side. Finally, Amaya's glazed eyes lit up and she nodded determinedly, both of them ignoring when her eyes watered just the slightest.

"Now let's go to class before we're both late," Aizawa smirked and started to walk ahead.

Amaya followed at a slower pace. She had calmed down and was grateful none of her classmates actually caught her in that embarrassing state. Still, as she walked, she couldn't forget those red eyes. She wasn't sure if she made that person up or if he was real but either way, she was uncomfortable.

Because those eyes weren't staring at her in fear but in admiration.

* * *

Amaya briskly entered the classroom and made a beeline for her desk not looking at anyone.

Fortunately, Aizawa started class quickly so no one who actually bothered to notice her would see her behavior as strange.

"Good work on yesterday's combat training. I saw the video and the results. Bakugo you're talented, so don't act like a kid," Aizawa complimented.

Amaya, focusing on the class discussion and trying to forget this morning, expected the blond to explode but he merely grumbled an "I know" and left it at that.

"_Hmm. Maybe seeing that there are a lot of strong people here has humbled him a bit."_

"And Midoriya; you settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep saying that you can't help it because you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over. As long as you fix the control issue, there's a lot you'll be able to do. Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya," Aizawa explained.

"Yes sir!" Was Midoriya's cheerful response.

"Now let's get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice, but today I'll have you…"

The class anxiously awaited his response, worried another test was about to occur.

"... decide on a class representative," Aizawa boredly finished.

Immediately faces relaxed and everyone seemed glad that such a normal high school activity was happening.

"I want to be class rep! Pick me!" The redhead, Kirishima exclaimed, jumping from his seat.

Everyone soon started to cheer and raise their hands up as well.

Amaya looked at her class in mild amusement. She knew everyone wanted to be class representative because it looked good on their transcripts, but it was funny seeing how badly everyone wanted it. She kept her head down because she knew she'd never get it. Not that she wanted to either.

"_**As if they'd ever pick a monster like you."**_

"Silence please!" Iida's voice rang throughout the classroom, shutting everyone up.

"It is a job with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. It is a calling that requires the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on a true leader, then we should hold an election to choose one," he proclaimed, his hand highly raised from before.

Amaya silently chuckled to herself. Iida really wanted this, that much was made clear.

"_But he deserves it. He's honest and is looking out for everyone. He even wants to do this fairly. Plus, he can shut the class up."_

The rest of the class didn't seem to agree as they picked at his suggestion. Everyone was worried that the voting wouldn't be fair because everyone would just vote for themselves.

However, Iida was quick to clarify how that would make voting even better because people were going to elect the best even if they didn't know that person for long.

Aizawa didn't care one way or the other and just fell asleep in his sleeping bag. The class seemed to agree with Iida's expression and soon everyone was writing a name down on a white slip of paper. Not needing to think it out Amaya wrote Iida's name and placed her slip in the front.

The results occurred rather quickly and soon everyone's name and the number of votes was placed next to each other on the blackboard.

Midoriya won with three votes and Yaoyorozu got two.

"I got three votes?!" Midoriya exclaimed in confusion.

"Why Deku?! Who voted for him?" Bakugo growled, glaring at the class.

The class started to tease Bakugo which Amaya ignored, but she did hear Iida's surprised gasp.

"I got one vote? Who voted for me?" Iida asked in wonderment, gazing at everyone.

Everyone shook their heads looking at one another in question.

"I did," Amaya calmly called out.

Iida's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"Hi— I mean A-Amaya-san? B-but why?" He asked her dazedly.

Amaya almost smiled at his use of her name but instead raised one brow up, "Because you seem the most fit for the job, why else?"

Iida's eyes filled with tears and he stood up and bowed in her direction.

"Thank you for your vote Amaya-san! I'm sorry I didn't win but your vote is very much cherished," he thanked her, earning questioning looks from the class. Amaya felt heat rush to her cheeks, looking away from him she awkwardly nodded not knowing how to respond to him.

"She voted for Iida? What the heck?"

"Well it's not like she would've won if she voted for herself," Amaya heard a classmate whisper. She ignored them and focused on the view outside instead, trying to keep her mind blank.

* * *

It was lunchtime and this time Amaya was prepared. Not wanting to have a repeat of last time she prepared a bento box beforehand. She tried to rush out of the classroom before anyone could stop her.

"W-wait! Amaya-san please eat with us today!" Iida called out.

Amaya stopped in her tracks glancing back to see Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka all staring at her.

"Yes, let's eat together Amaya-chan!" Uraraka cheered.

Amaya felt her chest warm up and she almost nodded but then she remembered a certain purple haired boy she dined with the day before.

"Thank you but that's alright." With that simply said she turned away ignoring their protests.

The three friends sighed in resignation and turned towards the cafeteria; tomorrow they'd try again to get her to eat with them.

* * *

Walking to the abandoned classroom, Amaya gripped the door handle tightly.

"_What if he isn't in there? What if he doesn't want to eat with me? Am I annoying him by interrupting his lunch?_ _What if…"_

"Are you going to block the door or go inside?" A tired voice drawled from behind, making Amaya jump in surprise.

"_I was so worried about how he'd react I didn't even hear him come near me."_

Blushing lightly, she entered the classroom without looking at Shinso and sat down by the seat near the window.

Shinso took the desk next to her and pulled out his own bento.

Without speaking both began to eat, letting the quiet settle around them.

"I didn't think you'd actually turn up," he quietly stated, taking a bite of his carrots.

"Me either," Amaya responded, turning to him and giving him a small smile.

It caught Shinso off guard and he had slight trouble keeping his face indifferent.

"You should smile more. It makes you look more approachable," he muttered, taking a drink of his water. Amaya slowly nodded before taking a bite of her tomatoes.

"Plus, you look cute when you do." He couldn't help but add, wanting to see how she'd react.

Losing the grip on her chopsticks, Amaya felt them clang onto the desk. Face bright red, she looked at Shinso in surprise. Shinso laughed, finding the cat girl's reactions to be extremely innocent and funny.

Hissing at him, Amaya turned her body away and picked up her utensils to resume eating.

Shinso smirked, "Anyways, how's class 1-A? What do you superhero pricks do in that class anyways?"

Amaya ignored his weird comment and her fast beating heart and turned to answer him when she was interrupted.

_Briiiiiing_

Covering her ears, Amaya winced from the unexpected loud noise.

Shinso stood up alert. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the room in suspicion. Seeing no immediate threats, he moved to look out the window. What he saw made him scowl.

The reporters from this morning were rushing into U.A. like a bunch of pack rats.

"Like a damn mob. It's just the press, I don't know how but they broke in so I think we should just stay here until it calms down," Shinso suggested, sitting back down and munching on his lunch.

Amaya nodded and continued eating as well. She couldn't stop the curiosity she felt though.

"_How did a group of supposed harmless reporters break in through U.A.'s indestructible defense?"_

Instantly the red eyes popped into her head and she had to fight a shudder. Shaking away those thoughts she tried to finish her lunch with a suddenly much smaller appetite.

* * *

The rest of her lunch was spent in silence. It would've been peaceful if not for her mind plaguing her with those red eyes. She needed to get a hold of herself. The sudden alarm distracted Amaya from making conversation and it wasn't like Shinso was all that talkative either. He only spoke up to comment about her lack of appetite and that if she didn't eat more she'd stay too small and skinny to be a hero. Obviously she responded by flipping him off, but she did feel comforted at the fact that he seemed to worry about her eating habits. He teased but it looked like he sort of cared too. She smiled as she remembered Shinso's parting words.

"_I'll see you tomorrow weirdo," he smirked, saluting at her and turning towards the direction of his classroom._

Those weren't the kindest words spoken to her, but it was almost like a silent promise in her opinion. The promise that he'd be there tomorrow and that eating lunch together was now a thing.

Entering the classroom, she noticed she was the first one there, so she took her seat and rested her head in her arms.

Soon enough the rest of the class entered whispering and laughing about Iida's actions during the alarm. Amaya raised her brow but didn't listen in more instead staring out the window.

"Come on class rep. Start," Yaoyorozu gently shouldered the shaking Midoriya.

Amaya didn't know when the class settled but she sweat dropped looking at the mess that was Midoriya standing in front of the class.

"N-now, let us decide on the class officers… But first, can I say something?"

The class patiently waited curious as to what Midoriya wanted to say.

"I think… Tenya Iida should be class rep after all!" Midoriya exclaimed.

Iida gasped and the rest of the class remained in confused silence. Amaya couldn't help but smile, Midoriya really was something else.

"He was able to get everyone's attention in such a cool way during the alarm freak out. I think it would be best for Iida to be class rep instead of me," Midoriya explained, smiling in Iida's direction.

Kirishima agreed, adding his own explanation and soon the rest of the class nodded along cheering for Iida.

"You're wasting time. I don't care what you do, just hurry up and do it," Aizawa boredly said before falling back asleep.

Amaya bit her lip to stop the giggles threatening to escape. Aizawa was such an interesting character to her.

"_He's so weird but it's fine because I lo- "_

"_**Woah. Don't finish that sentence. You've known this guy for three months at most. What's wrong with you? All he is to you is a legal guardian, not anything else."**_

Amaya shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. What was she thinking? She cared for Aizawa sure but not to the point where she lo… **No**. She didn't care about anyone like that since she was eleven. And it was for a reason.

The loud cheers of her classmates brought her out of the dark path her mind was heading, and Amaya forced her thoughts to quiet down. Amaya sighed, looking around at her classmates. She was just overthinking again. Everything was fine.

Yet she refused to make eye contact with Aizawa for the rest of the day.

* * *

Aizawa glanced over at Amaya in concern. She was quiet and kept her face blank, giving nothing away. She hadn't looked him in the eyes for two days now. _Why?_

Since yesterday when they walked home together the cat girl had been very short with her responses. Not in a rude way, just in a "_I don't want to talk to _**_you_**" manner. Aizawa wondered if maybe it was the press incident that was still affecting her, but he had already reassured her that everything was fine and so far, it was. So, if it wasn't that, it had to be because of him but he didn't think he offended her in any way, so he was unsure how to proceed. He didn't mention it because he knew pressuring her wasn't going to get them anywhere. Still… he was worried.

He decided after classes today he'd talk to her about it. For now, he had a lesson to carry out. Glancing away from her he focused on the class in front of him.

"For today's hero basic training, it's turned into a class with three instructors, All Might and me, and one more person," he explained to the class, voice tired.

The gasps were immediate as the class wondered who the other person was and what type of training they'd do.

"Excuse me! What'll we be doing?" Sero, or Tape Boy as Amaya nicknamed him, asked.

Aizawa pulled out a white card with the blue words "RESCUE" written across it.

"Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. It's rescue training," he stated, looking around the class, flashing his gaze at Amaya. Amaya quickly avoided eye contact which caused Aizawa to frown but he hid it with his scarf.

Amaya heard her classmates' excited whispers about today's training. She couldn't deny that she was excited too. This was what she was looking forward to: saving people. The best part was that in exercises like these, no one needed to have a flashy quirk, or quirk in general. When it came to rescuing, anyone could be a hero. She only wished Aizawa would stop looking at her because she was starting to feel guilty every time she looked away from his concerned gaze.

"**_It's fine. You're not doing anything wrong. So, what if you don't look at him, that's not a crime? Stop acting like a little bitch."_**

"_He's obviously worried. He cares about us, that's not a bad thing. Why don't you just admit that you lo- "_

She stopped her mental argument, not wanting to deal with her emotions today. She was already letting this affect her too much. Even Shinso could see something was bothering her because she barely spoke or ate when they had lunch today. He didn't say much but he teased her about being too skinny again and that she'd be too weak if she didn't eat more. When she couldn't even insult him back, he asked her if she was okay.

She was definitely not okay but right now she had to be. So, tuning in, she heard Aizawa say that they could wear their costumes to this training exercise if they wanted. The exercise was going to be off campus too, which was a first for the class.

Amaya didn't have to wonder; she was going to go in costume. It wouldn't necessarily help her if they were only going to be rescuing people, but it didn't hinder her either.

"_Plus wearing it feels like I'm someone other than just a Hitachi."_

With that settled she got her costume and went to get ready.

* * *

All decked out in her black suit, Amaya comfortably walked to where her classmates were. She debated on walking over to where Midoriya and Uraraka were talking, feeling the most comfortable with them but ultimately decided to leave them alone.

"**_Dumbass. You're better off alone. Stop getting clingy."_**

The chime of a whistle distracted her from thinking too darkly and instead Amaya looked over to see Iida standing in front of the class.

"Class 1-A gather round! Form two lines by your student numbers in order to make boarding the bus go smoothly!" Iida commanded, taking his role as class rep very seriously.

Amaya almost laughed at his character until she processed his words and remembered where her seat was. Away from everyone else. She didn't have a partner. Sighing she headed towards the back, in front of her were Yaoyorozu and Todoroki standing near each other.

Heading in silently, Amaya felt the tension leave her shoulders slightly at seeing the layout. The bus's seats were facing each other, being able to group four at a time with a few two-seaters near the front and back. She was thankful that she didn't have to be the obvious odd one out of the group but felt her nerves pick up when she realized that maybe this was worse. Now she had to sit near one of her fellow classmates that probably didn't want to sit near her.

She was right; she had to sit next to Todoroki of all people because Yaoyorozu refused to sit next to her. Amaya left her face blank, but her tail was tightly wrapped on her arm. Thankfully Todoroki refused to look at her, not sparing her a single glance. He even fell asleep five minutes into the bus ride. Amaya felt herself relax at that, at least she didn't have to deal with him.

Since their battle they hadn't spoken to each other, only barely acknowledging one another. When they did happen to make eye contact it just became a staring contest to see who would break first. Unfortunately, it was usually Amaya because she was still uncomfortable looking people in the eyes so intensely for so long. Doing so only brought back bad memories so even if she hated herself for looking away, she excused it as a coping mechanism.

She didn't know how to classify their relationship to one another. They were rivals obviously, Todoroki would smirk like an asshole whenever she looked away, but Amaya couldn't help but want to talk to Todoroki more. She felt like they were similar, his eyes clouded over with distress and pain that most probably didn't notice. Todoroki's gaze was fiery and refusing to back down on the surface, but deeper Amaya could sense his darkness. Over what, she couldn't say.

"**_What the actual fuck is wrong with you? Wanting to talk to someone because of some darkness shit? You think you'd be friends? Huh? Stop thinking wasteless things. You don't need him, and he definitely doesn't want you to stick your nose in his business."_**

Her cynical mind barked, causing Amaya to wince at the harshness. She sighed; it was right for the most part. She didn't need to know Todoroki; it was better for her if she didn't. All she needed to know was that she was going to beat him.

Still, looking over at his closed eyes Amaya couldn't help but stare up at his features.

"_He's sleeping so soundly."_

Amaya was a little jealous at how easy he could sleep, he didn't seem worried about exposing himself. Amaya hadn't been able to sleep properly since the press incident, red eyes were keeping her up at night.

Fighting a shiver she decided to study Todoroki's face as a distraction.

_"It's like he's not even scared to be vulnerable around me. He actually looks cute like this. With his guard down and everything he looks so harmless."_

Amaya felt herself blush at her own thoughts. She didn't know where that came from and realized that she was staring at him for longer than what was probably normal and instead looked to her right. Narrowed black eyes glared back at her.

Yaoyorozu didn't trust her, that much was made clear. Amaya understood that Yaoyorozu hated that she was so close to a fellow classmate. Yaoyorozu thought Amaya was going to hurt Todoroki.

Amaya couldn't lie and say that it didn't sting a little to be perceived that way, but she should be used to it by now. Even though she was technically innocent she was considered evil by association and considering what her parents did she didn't blame people for hating her.

Refusing to react, Amaya simply looked the other way and let her mind shutdown until the bus ride was over.

* * *

Thankfully the ride didn't last too much longer, and Amaya was provided with some angry Bakugo entertainment along the way.

Gently shaking Todoroki's arm, she refused to look at him after that and headed off the bus standing near Midoriya and Uraraka.

The pro-hero Thirteen was waiting for them by the entrance.

"Everyone I have been waiting for you," she greeted, and everyone gasped, looking at her in awe.

"It's the Space Hero Thirteen! The gentlemanly hero who has rescued tons of people from disasters!" Midoriya fanboyed, stars in his eyes, the boy was practically sparkling.

Uraraka didn't fare any better, all but squealing her love for the hero. Amaya subconsciously smiled softly at them, shocking Kirishima who stood next to the three. He took a small step back and tried hard not to stare but he'd never seen the cat girl smile, he couldn't help the small blush that rose to his cheeks. This was supposed to be the daughter of villains, yet her smile was gentle and dare he say even caring.

Thinking back on it Kirishima had never seen Hitachi act out. She was reserved, but how could she not be when people didn't even attempt to talk to her? Kirishima felt a pit of guilt form in his chest—he was one of those people. He shunned her before he even got to know her all because of her family ties. How was that fair? He wanted to be a chivalrous hero, and it was definitely not manly to ignore someone when they hadn't really done anything wrong. With newfound determination he promised himself that he'd tried to be friends with her. Plus, it would be a shame not to be able to see that pretty smile of hers again.

"Let's go inside without any delay!" Thirteen suggested, starting to guide the students into the large dome. Amaya looked up in wonder. This place was huge!

There was a flood zone in one area, a landslide in the other. One part of the dome was up in flames. It was an amalgamation of conflicting environments all joined together as one.

"_So, this is the training grounds we'll be using today. It looks like an amusement park! How much money does this school even get?!"_

Amaya was not the only one amazed by the USJ, she could hear her classmates gasp beside her. They were all dumbfounded and could only listen to Thirteen explain everything.

A hot seeping spike of uncomfortableness hit Amaya on the back of her neck. Her tail bristled and her ears perked up high. For some reason she had a really bad feeling about this place.

"_Relax, maybe being around Midoriya is causing this sudden spout of paranoia."_

"**_No… something doesn't feel right. Keep your eyes open brat."_**

Amaya shook her head trying to dispel her thoughts and feelings. She needed to focus on the lesson… still a quick scan of the place wouldn't hurt.

Feeling slightly satisfied, she listened in to the remaining conversation between Thirteen and the rest of the class.

"... it is a power that can kill easily. Some of you also have quirks like that, right?" Thirteen asked, looking at everyone.

Amaya stiffened and although she didn't see the class staring at her, she knew they were thinking of her and her parents.

"**_Hah. If they only knew the half of it."_**

"In a superhuman society, personal quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step," Thirteen continued, giving a steely look towards everyone, finishing her gaze directly on Amaya.

Back straight, jaw clenched, Amaya pointedly ignored that comment and instead turned her attention forward. She had the instant urge to look over to Aizawa but stopped herself because she didn't need anyone to read into that. Besides she was still feeling guilty for shutting him out and couldn't deal with those current emotions.

As Thirteen continued Amaya no longer felt the need to listen and instead looked around the USJ once more. Even when she was listening, she couldn't shake the bad feeling she got. Only now it was stronger for some reason.

Her ears twitched as the class laughed and cheered; suddenly her stomach dropped. Looking towards where the fountain was Amaya noticed a dark purple vortex suddenly appearing.

This time she didn't hesitate to train her gaze onto Aizawa. The lights had started spazzing around her, but all she could do was look at Aizawa in panic. Amaya was used to feeling all sorts of negative emotions. That was a part of trauma, and yet, this fear was very similar to the fear she felt when the _accident_ happened.

Aizawa met her gaze head on, eyes widening as he swiftly turned his body toward the dark swirling hole near the fountain.

Amaya looked back towards the hole and what she saw almost made her knees buckle. Those damn red eyes appeared. Her claws came out, fangs protruding out of her mouth to the sharpest point they could go. Even with that creepy hand covering his face Amaya could not forget those red eyes that haunted her when she was with the press. She had hoped it was just a hallucination but seeing them again she knew she couldn't deny their existence. Thankfully that man didn't make eye contact with her, instead just looked at the crowd in front of him.

"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa instructed, bringing Amaya out of her stupor. The students gasped and looked worriedly between the two pro-heroes. Amaya didn't look away from Aizawa for a second, **now** she had a really bad feeling about what was going to happen.

Her thoughts were confirmed by Aizawa's statement, "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"_NO! What's he thinking taking all those guys on his own! He might be a pro, but he needs back up!"_

"**_Focus on surviving, Erasure Head is buying us time. Don't waste it dumbass."_**

Amaya bit her lip, that faintest trace of blood spilling out. She tugged on her ears out of frustration. She figured out what Aizawa's best course of action would be: have Thirteen transport the class to safety, to get them out of the way. But still! She couldn't just leave him fighting alone!

Her frustration only rose as it seemed that the rest of her class still didn't grasp just exactly what was going on.

"Don't move! Those are villains," Amaya hissed, her golden eyes transforming into thin slits as she looked at the class in exasperation.

Immediately her words brought the reality of the situation to her classmates' faces and the vibe changed from confusion into fright. Aizawa nodded even though he didn't turn and placed his hero support glasses on.

"**_Well this is gonna be one hell of a training exercise."_**


	6. Five

Amaya grit her teeth once her ears picked up on Aizawa's realization that these were the people that broke into U.A..

Heart pounding, Amaya clenched her hands into fists watching as Aizawa's scarf came to life.

"What? Villains? No way… There's no way they could get into a hero school!" Kirishima exclaimed in panic. Amaya quickly flickered her gaze to him, before sensing that familiar feeling of eyes staring daggers from behind her.

Yaoyorozu glared at her for a split-second before turning to Thirteen.

"Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?" Yaoyorozu asked, stepping next to Midoriya.

"We have them, of course, but…" Thirteen trailed off, only furthering the classes' panic.

Todoroki's smooth voice cut through the class as he explained his thoughts on what was currently happening. "Did they only appear here, or around the whole school? Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a quirk that can do that…"

"An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools but they're not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind," Amaya finished, her dull voice resonating throughout the class.

The class stilled at the explanation, some giving Amaya suspicious looks. Todoroki simply fixed his apathetic heterochromia eyes on her golden slits, nodding in agreement. If it weren't for the situation Amaya would've been slightly impressed and sorta pissed that he really was as smart as he was powerful. That wasn't important right now, so she focused instead and broke the gaze with him at Aizawa's command for Thirteen to evacuate everyone.

"Kaminari. You try contacting the school with your quirk," Aizawa demanded as he turned his body back towards the group of villains.

Amaya's tail was practically numbing her arm as she stared at her caretaker. It seemed like she wasn't the only worried soul as Midoriya's voice cried out, "What about you sir? Will you fight by yourself?" Amaya couldn't help but look at Midoriya, glad that someone was also worried about Aizawa's safety.

Aizawa didn't let his cool waver. His voice evened as he explained that he'd be fine.

"Aizawa wait!" Amaya desperately whispered, fingers stretching towards where he jumped. It's not that she didn't have faith in him, she truly believed that he could protect the class. However, she also knew that in doing so he would definitely get hurt and that's what she wanted to avoid.

She didn't even think as she propelled herself forward, her body moved before she could even think.

"Amaya-san! Come back!" She heard Iida shout at her, more of her classmates screaming her name as she ran. Before she could descend the stairs, she felt strong arms wrap around her middle. Acting on instinct she hissed and moved to claw at the person's face, but they expected that and pinned her arm to her back.

"Let me go! He needs help!" She growled; her voice filled with a raw panic that her classmates had never heard from her before.

"Amaya-chan I understand that you want to help Aizawa-sensei, but we'll only hinder him. Please I want to help him too, but we have to go," Midoriya's slightly shaky voice tried to soothe her. That petite girl continued to struggle against him, feeling her throat closing up and a painful weight settling in her stomach at the thought of leaving Aizawa.

Midoriya didn't want to but he tightened his arms against her, easily moving her light body with him. He was so glad he stayed behind the group to watch a bit of the battle because otherwise no one would've caught her when she ran off. As he carried the small cat-girl with him he couldn't stop himself from gazing at her in amazement. Hitachi or not she moved to help without a second thought.

Amaya knew struggling was pointless with Midoriya's firm grip on her, but if she didn't move, she felt as if she'd spiral into a panic attack. They didn't understand the real relationship between her and Aizawa, they didn't understand why she was so worried for him.

"_**Maybe it's finally time to let me out? You know I'm stronger."**_

"_No. Not as long as I can help it. I don't need for everyone to see me as the monster they think I am."_

"_**You mean the monster that you are."**_

The voice snarkily responded, Amaya grit her teeth in annoyance for even having this mental conversation.

Suddenly the whole class stopped as the same dark vortex from the fountain appeared in front of them. That dark vortex turned out to be a warp-like person, emitting an ominous aura everywhere.

"Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves into the home of the heroes, U.A. High School in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath." The figure politely introduced and explained his groups' actions.

"_**The hell kind of villain is this dude? Way to monologue like an idiot."**_

"_Would you shut up! They're here to kill All Might! Use those annoying instincts of yours to figure out a way on how to get out of here!"_

As the villain continued to speak, Midoriya's arms loosened around Amaya and let her go, probably trusting her not to run away again. In any other moment Amaya would be touched by that fact because being held firmly like that brought up bad memories, but currently she was more focused on the villain in front of her. More like she couldn't help but notice the twitching Kirishima and Bakugo near the front.

"_No… they're surely not that impulsive. His quirk seems to involve warps or portals so that means that running and attacking him wouldn't-"_

"_**SHIT THEY'RE ATTACKING!"**_

"NO! STOP!" Amaya shouted, rushing forward and reaching out for Bakugo's elbow. She was too slow. Bakugo had already unleashed an explosion, causing ash and dust to cover everything in her line of sight.

"_**Imbeciles. Absolute imbeciles."**_

Amaya quickly waved the smoke cloud away and realized along with dumb and dumber that Bakugo's explosion didn't affect warp guy in the slightest. Instead warpy stood straight and began speaking again. Amaya tried to grab the boys' arms during this when a strong wind pushed them back and everything around her turned dark purple. Without thinking she reached her arm out and managed to grab a hold of something, more like someone. Not dwelling on it she pulled that person into her small body hoping to protect them from whatever was happening. The darkness swallowed them whole.

She couldn't see anything, and the person was struggling hard against her. Their large body felt sharp and weighed heavily, causing her a bit of pain. Without warning they both fell hard straight into the floor. Groaning from the weight on her, Amaya let go of who she realized was Kirishima and stood up. She didn't have the chance to even say anything because immediately her ears twitched, and she felt an attack near her head. Instinctively she caught her attacker's fist and threw him over her shoulder. The sounds of explosions and grunts appeared near her and as she finally took in her surroundings, she saw that she as well as Bakugo and Kirishima were surrounded by a group of attackers.

"DIEEEE!" Bakugo cried out and Amaya heard more explosions popping off. Trying not to lose focus she looked at the men in front of her.

_**"Hah. This is going to be fun. You don't even need me for these losers."**_

* * *

It turned out that Amaya could handle herself, and so could the boys near her. They were actually knocking out the last few thugs. They all stood close, panting slightly, because while the fight wasn't hard, there were a lot of them. She didn't even have to worry about her limited strength because these attackers had poor fighting technique and she was able to use a lot of their own momentum to overpower them.

"_These guys were too easy to defeat. They're not villains, nothing more than mere thugs. Why is that?"_

"Is this all of them? They're so weak," Bakugo insulted, saying exactly what Amaya had been thinking.

"Let's just hurry up and go save the others! If we're here, then everyone else should be inside the USJ too. I'm worried about the guys with less offensive ability. Besides, because we ran off ahead, we slowed Thirteen down. If Thirteen had been able to suck up that fog—"

"We wouldn't be in this mess," Amaya finished Kirishima's statement, glaring at both boys.

"HA! The hell you talking about mangy cat. At least I reacted, unlike your scared ass," Bakugo shouted, glaring right back at Amaya.

She felt her face pinch into a scowl. She knew Bakugo had a bad temper but right now his stupid actions and words were frustrating her, especially since she was farther away from Aizawa. She might've been ignoring the man, but she was seriously worried about him. And now she was stuck here because these two morons just had to act all mighty.

_**"****Well you did reach out for them... **__"_

_"Shut up."_

"Reacted? No what you both did was impulsive and idiotic. But right now, I don't have time for this," Amaya snarled, hackles rising as she stared right into Bakugo's maroon eyes, jabbing hard into his chest before turning away.

She didn't bother listening to his response, just hearing the crude language from him as Kirishima tried to calm him down. Even with that as background noise, her ears were able to pick up faint steps and she turned back to see a knife glinting near Bakugo. She kicked down hard at the thug. He didn't even get to finish his threat before she knocked him out.

"Amazing reaction time," Kirishima muttered, looking at Amaya in wonderment. She didn't hear his quiet compliment because Bakugo started yelling at her again.

"Oi pipsqueak! You didn't need to do that shit. I can protect myself and don't need some extra trying to save me," Bakugo's red eyes were fierce as they stared back into Amaya's bored golden ones. Bakugo too was a bit impressed by her instincts but he hated the fact that someone so small had 'saved' him. It pissed him off that she didn't cower like every other extra did, but what pissed him off the most was that he almost respected that she didn't shy away from him.

"If you're done acting childish, I'm leaving," Amaya stated, turning and heading toward where she thought Aizawa was, ignoring Bakugo's growling. Had the situation been different she might've been glad that Bakugo wasn't scared of her, but she had business to take care of and this idiot was only getting in the way.

Bakugo glared at her tiny form, fuck being slightly impressed, this mangy cat thought he was nothing better than a kid. He'd show her not to underestimate him.

"Wait, we should go find our other classmates and help them out," Kirishima's voice called out, making Amaya stop for a second.

"If all these villains are small fries like the ones, we fought then those wimps can handle it. They'll be fine, I'm going after that warp bastard," Bakugo calmly announced, heading in the same direction as Amaya, shoving at her shoulder making her almost fall from the force.

Amaya would've been impressed by Bakugo's rational words if he hadn't just shoved her like an asshole.

"_I swear one minute he's actually this smart resourceful guy the next he's- "_

_**"****A dumbass narcissist. Doesn't matter right now, Erasure Head is still alone."**_

With that she didn't even bother to listen to Kirishima's response or stay to see his sudden admiration grow. Instead all three headed out in the same direction, Bakugo taking the lead.

"Umm. Hey Hitachi-san I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry for the way I've ignored you. It's definitely not manly and you don't deserve that treatment, especially since all I've seen you do so far is act heroically," Kirishima abruptly stated, a friendly smile on his face as he looked at Amaya.

Amaya almost froze, she had not expected that at all. Right now, was not the time to be caught up in weird feelings so instead she nodded at Kirishima and walked faster to the area that she heard fighting coming from.

"_I hope Aizawa's alright. He has to be okay…"_

They continued their fast pace, only ever stopping to fight some low-class thug.

"Ah!" Amaya's ears picked up ahead, a pained cry that made her stumble.

"_No… no! No! No!"_

Bursting with speed she pushed Bakugo hard to the side not even catching his shout of protest before sliding to a stop at the scene before her. She'd leave them to deal with anymore thuds, her goal was reaching Aizawa.

Bakugo and Kirishima couldn't believe how fast the cat-girl ran and raced to reach up to her but got sidetracked by a couple of thugs. Bakugo stared at her small figure in the distance and clenched his fist. He'd catch up to her and show her up.

Tears welled up in Amaya's eyes as she saw Aizawa, the man that saved her and took her in, being crushed by a massive disfigured creature. That revolting monster was sitting on his back breaking Aizawa's arms like they were twigs.

"_AIZAWA!"_

She couldn't scream, for a second she just stood there watching his pain and that creature crushing him like a bug.

Not taking any time to assess the situation or even think of a game plan, she rushed forward whipping out her small knives and throwing them at the monster's back. The knives sunk into the skin with some struggle, causing the creature to shriek. However, it only had to flex before they all clanged to the ground and the skin healed.

"_What the hell is this thing?"_

Not wanting to give it an opportunity she grabbed her katanas and aimed to slice its arms. The creature was fast, avoiding her swords, but Amaya's anger gave her the speed to slash its chest. Smoke oozed from the wound but other than that the creature didn't seem hurt.

"Your little swords won't do any good on my Nomu. I'd run away while you still can, little girl, unless you want to be crushed," a creepy voice called out, mocking Amaya's attempt of an attack.

She ignored the man and turned around with her katanas ready just as the creature came jumping toward her. Driving her heels into the ground, she used all her strength to stab the swords into the creature's stomach, the sharp ends piercing all the way through its back. It cried out in pain and then used its arm to break the swords. The ends were still protruding through its back but the Nomu didn't seem to care, only flexing once more and letting the now broken katanas fall to the floor.

Amaya didn't allow herself to be shocked. Instead she pounced onto the monster, landing on his back. Gold slits blazing, fangs sharp, she bit his neck as hard as she could before ripping her mouth away, taking a chunk of its skin with her. The Nomu merely snarled and grabbed her hair before she could react, slamming her down next to Aizawa. The creature reacted as if she was nothing more than an annoying fly.

A gasp of pain escaped, and she was pretty sure that she now had some broken ribs.

"Hitachi! Get away from here!" Aizawa shouted, coughing mid-way through his sentence.

"_**You can use me. Do it now child! Before your beloved Aizawa dies!"**_

"_Shut up! I don't need you. I can do this. I don't want to hurt anyone."_

"_**Hah… because of your stubborn attitude now someone will die."**_

"What's this? A little kitty trying to save her teacher? Well you can try all you want but as you can see your little swords did nothing. Not even you can leave a mark on my Nomu," a dry voice interrupted Amaya's thought. She looked up and stared into the red eyes from before. Panting from pain, she looked away and saw that he was right, this Nomu creature continued to regenerate. A new layer had already grown in where the chunk of skin was ripped off.

Amaya felt herself start to tremble, ice filling her veins. Was this thing even human?

"Ahhh! You're a little Hitachi aren't you! My my I knew I saw you that day. I guess I was right. Well what's someone like you doing with a bunch of heroes?" That same crusty voice asked, eyes lighting up as he took in Amaya's form. Slowly getting up to stand, she didn't give him an answer, and instead used her adrenaline to jump and scratch at the hand covering his face.

"_If I can't attack that 'Nomu' maybe I can stop the master!"_

"_**Just use me insolent brat! You'll win much faster with me taking the lead!"**_

Ignoring the voice, she threw a hard kick into the blue haired man's stomach, catching him off guard and throwing him to the ground. Before she could attack more, she felt a gust of wind from behind her, and she ducked, barely missing the Nomu's gigantic hand.

Jumping away she stared at the crumpled form of her guardian on the floor, the crazily excited man getting back up and the large Nomu guarding said man.

"This kitty sure has some claws. But what else can I expect from a Hitachi? Your parents definitely raised you right," the blue haired man complimented, his satisfied tone making goosebumps appear on Amaya's arms.

"Shut up! I'm not like my parents! Get the hell away from this class!" Amaya snarled, running in front of Aizawa's body, ready to attack.

Crusty let out a low chuckle, amusement filling his voice, "Oh Hitachi, you are your parents daughter, meaning you have that same dangerous blood running through you. Now c'mon let me see that hidden quirk of yours that your parents talked so much about!" Amaya couldn't see it, but she was sure he was smiling.

She froze.

"_What? How does he know about that? Did my parents really let that secret out? Who is this guy?"_

"What's wrong kitty, aren't you going to show off that beautifully destructive quirk of yours? Or do none of these heroes know about it and so you're worried how they'll see you if you use it?" The man teased, slowly closing in on Amaya's rigid form.

"Don't get any closer!" Amaya gritted out, her claws swiping at the air.

The man paused staring at her for a few seconds before looking at Aizawa's broken form. "Hmmmm. I see. Looks like you need an incentive. Nomu, kill that man," Crusty commanded, pointing at Aizawa.

Before she could blink, she felt a strong force knock the wind out of her and she was thrown a few feet away from where Aizawa was. Coughing up blood, she struggled to stand, facing her body towards Aizawa and instantly wished she hadn't.

She looked over; her blood ran cold.

**Slam.**

Her eyes widened; her breathing stopped.

**Slam.**

Her heart stopped.

**Slam.**

Aizawa's head was making a crater into the ground, blood spilling everywhere.

"_**IF YOU DON'T USE ME, HE'LL DIE! FUCKING DO IT GIRL!"**_

Screaming Amaya bit her tattoo covered wrist and let the blood drop onto the floor.

Instantly dark misty tendrils crept up her wrist, swirling all around her body. Her veins turned black, looking like haunted vines on her face. Her once gold eyes started turning white. She shuddered as she felt her conscious start slipping away little by little.

Smirking, a dark and murderous voice came out of the small cat girl's body,

"**Looks like someone wants to die today. Well don't worry, killing's my specialty."**


	7. Six

Midoriya stood frozen in the water next to an equally shocked Tsuyu and Mineta. Their petite classmate had wispy tendrils swirling around her and she stood in the center with a dark glint in her now white eyes.

And that voice. That wasn't the Amaya he was just starting to get to know. He'd never heard her speak with such venom in her voice before.

"This is why U.A. shouldn't have let a villain into their school! What the hell were they thinking! Now we're all gonna die!" Mineta cried, shaking in the water.

Midoriya frowned at him and looked back in concern at Amaya. He was going to help her, he just had to figure out the best way how.

* * *

Amaya smirked on the surface staring at her _victims_ with malice.

"**Heh. I wished I could've come out sooner, but that stupid moron just hates when I let loose. But then if she's letting me have control now that must mean you really pissed her off. Now let's have some fun!"**

Amaya sped forward with a sudden surge of energy and let her misty dark tendrils wrap around the Nomu's body, black miasma beginning to fill every orifice available.

Due to its large size she had to let out enough miasma to fill the creature in hopes of destroying it from the inside out.

"_Wait… killing is wrong, this thing is still a person. Hold back a little. We're not going to hurt anyone unnecessarily. Heroes don't do that."_

"_**You've never been a hero and you'll never be one. Not in this society at least. This thing is not human anymore and even if it was it was going to kill Aizawa. So, shut up and let me do my thing."**_

The Nomu started shaking, screaming out in pain. Amaya focused her poisonous mist solely on the figure, it was taking much longer to suffocate than she realized. Sweat dripping down her face, veins getting darker on her pale skin, she felt herself losing her control to the animal inside her.

"_**That's right kid. Just sleep, I'll take care of everything."**_

_Amaya's_ tail elongated, her claws becoming sharp points as well as her fangs. Each second she released miasma, the closer she was to losing total control to her feral side.

The Nomu was slowly starting to deteriorate, the bottom of its body disintegrating.

"I guess those fools weren't lying. Your quirk is quite powerful. Looks like a new character has entered the game. Even Nomu is having trouble with it, perhaps you're a glitch," Handman commented, his voice laced with interest and a disgusting amount of admiration.

"**Don't think I forgot about you,"** she smirked, using the anger inside to create a single tendril to inch its way closer to the blue haired man.

"Tomura Shigaraki. Please do be careful, that girl seems to be expelling some kind of poisonous miasma," the warp figure warned, appearing suddenly and moving Shigaraki away before the tendril could reach him.

_Amaya_ hissed but she couldn't lose her concentration for anything, otherwise the Nomu might begin regenerating. She was already at 80% percent of poison going through her and the blasted creature wasn't demolished yet.

"I don't understand why you're lowering yourself with a bunch of pathetic heroes. Look how they treat you; you still have that shock collar on your neck. Hitachi, why don't you join us instead? You'd be such an interesting player and I'm sure it'd make your parents proud," Shigaraki offered, going as far as reaching his hand out to her.

"_What?_"

It was in that split second that she lost her focus. That was enough for the Nomu to punch an arm out and knock the girl into the ground.

Blood spilled out of her mouth and she struggled to stand back up.

"Pity, not strong enough. Now then let's talk more about this another time okay kitty? I want to play with you again so don't die too soon. And my offer still stands, you might not accept it but you're more like us than you'll ever be like them," Shigaraki sighed, his voice echoing in Amaya's head.

Amaya grit her teeth, the last bit of self-control desperately grasping at any straws to speak. She wasn't like him; she was never going to be like him. Unfortunately, exhaustion was starting to peek through, and Amaya closed her mouth in an attempt to save her energy. She needed to do something other than mouth off this weirdo.

"Why don't you just watch as I kill the pride of the world's symbol of peace," Shigaraki stated before he moved, ending up in front of Midoriya, Tsuyu, and Mineta who were in the water. Amaya didn't even notice them there; she was so focused on Aizawa.

She could only watch as Shigaraki reached his hand out and while she didn't know his quirk, she knew he was going to hurt her classmates. Without thinking she ran, ignoring her pain.

Her heart stopped as he touched Tsuyu's face, but nothing happened.

"Tch… You really are cool," Shigaraki complimented as he looked over to where Aizawa was.

Amaya's widened eyes trailed over to him too, in shock that he could still activate his quirk, even in his current state. Then the Nomu slammed Aizawa's head into the floor once more.

Amaya felt her conscious snap. Giving up any power she had before she gave full control to let the beast inside take over.

Jaw snapping, she pounced on Shigaraki and bit his neck, sinking her claws into his shoulders.

He cried out and reached out to touch her, but she used her tail to stop his arm. She growled next to his ear and moved her claws down scratching all of his back, satisfied at the blood dripping from the tips.

"_**That was for Aizawa."**_

Manically smiling she jumped off him, leaving with a bit of his skin hanging in her mouth, her teeth covered in blood. She felt utter satisfaction as she watched blood trail down his neck. His insane looking eyes turned towards her and he reached out to touch her when Midoriya jumped out screaming, "SMASH!"

The power from his punch caused her to move back and a dust cloud to form. When she opened her eyes, the Nomu was standing in Shigaraki's place.

"_**That bastard!"**_

Growling _Amaya_ ran to attack him again but the Nomu caught her and smashed her into the ground.

Dizzy, nose most likely broken, body aching she couldn't hear what was occurring around her, but she knew one thing.

She was fucking pissed.

Letting out a hellish scream, her tendrils exploded around her and wrapped itself around the Nomu. Not caring that she'd poison herself, she pushed her body to its limit and placed all the poison she could into her miasma.

The Nomu screamed and she did too. Blood started leaking out of her eyes and she felt a disgusting smug start to fill her lungs. It didn't matter. This thing hurt Aizawa, this thing was important to that creep Shigaraki, this thing was going to **die** now!

Black dots appeared before her eyes, but she continued. Finally, the Nomu started disintegrating, much faster than before. She knew it was because she was letting 100% of her poison escape, but she just hoped to kill the damned thing before she passed out.

Around her she could faintly hear Shigaraki screaming that she was cheating and the sound of fighting. Was Midoriya protecting her? She thought she could hear All Might in the back but wasn't sure. The Nomu only had its head left when she felt a large hand pat her shoulder and she knew that she couldn't fight it any longer. She let herself fall.

* * *

"_Is Amaya-chan going to be alright?"_

"_Wow she almost killed herself to protect Aizawa-sensei!"_

"_What was that thing that came out of her? A hidden quirk? They have to lock her back up right? Did anyone know she could do that?"_

"_Did you see how she looked fighting those guys? She looked scarier than the actual villains!"_

"_Did she do this? Is she working with them? She shouldn't be here!"_

"_Ahh Young Hitachi, you did so well. Thank you…"_

Amaya groaned; her eyelids were almost too heavy to open. She didn't even want to decipher the voices that spoke while she was unconscious. Instead, she tried to sit up, but her chest ached and begged her not to. Her ribs didn't seem to be broken but there was still a sharp pain when she breathed in. She heard a gasp to her left.

"Amaya-chan! You're awake! Do you need anything? Recovery Girl didn't expect you to wake up until at least tomorrow morning," Midoriya's voice rang out, speaking faster with each sentence.

Her eyes landed on his tense form in the chair and she tried to speak but her throat felt like it was on fire. She grasped at it wanting to soothe it but felt her shock collar in its place.

"_I don't understand why you're lowering yourself with a bunch of pathetic heroes. Look how they treat you; you still have that shock collar on your neck. Hitachi, why don't you join us instead?"_

Shigaraki's words echoed through her head. She felt fire blaze in her gut at just remembering those words. It didn't matter how the world saw her, she was going to help people and that's all.

She winced as she felt a cough coming up and so she weakly pointed to the glass of water near him. He followed her finger and nodded quickly, grabbing it and handing it to her. She slowly sat up, ignoring her protesting limbs, and took small sips of the water. The liquid soothing her dry throat.

Now that she had time to take in her surroundings, she realized that Midoriya was staring at her with a relieved smile and felt confusion whirl up in her.

"_Why is he here?"_

She saw that he didn't really have any injuries besides some bandages on his arm. Looking outside it was pretty late, the moon was out. And he saw. Oh god he saw her in that state. Her face contorted into one of shame. She didn't understand. Why was he here? She was almost too afraid to stare into his eyes, but she wanted—no needed—to know why he was still here.

He didn't look scared at all, keeping eye contact with her as he began speaking, "Ahh you're probably wondering what happened right?" She nodded waiting for him to continue.

"Well you see after you passed out, even though you did a lot of damage to the Nomu it started to regenerate. But thankfully All Might came and thanks to you was able to beat it pretty easily. I broke my legs because I used my quirk and well yea, I don't have the best control over it yet."

Ignoring his description of her own quirk, she took in his words.

"But I'm okay now thanks to Recovery Girl, while you still have some serious injuries. Even though she told me you might not wake up tonight I had to make sure," Midoriya finished, face starting to grow red as he scratched at his cheek. She felt her own face heating up as she realized that he stayed just for her.

"I don't get it. After you saw what I did, what I can do… how could you want to wait for someone like me? My quirk didn't even do anything useful, it only showed how disgusting I really am..." she berated herself, glaring at her sheets. Fists clenching the material she didn't notice that she had said that out loud until Midoriya reached out and softly placed his hand over hers.

"You're wrong Amaya-chan! If it wasn't for you the Nomu would never have been weakened, you bought the heroes time! You're not disgusting at all! You're really amazing!" Midoriya exclaimed, staring at her honestly.

Both began blushing at his words and while Midoriya started mumbling, Amaya looked down and bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

"_I didn't mean to say that out loud. Is it possible he really thinks that? Midoriya isn't a liar so I'm pretty sure I can believe him. He doesn't think I'm a monster after all!"_

"_**Shut up girly, I'm tired and don't need this mushy shit right now. How's the teach doing?"**_

Eyes wide, Amaya snapped her head up and gripped the sheets in slight fear.

"Aizawa, how is Aizawa?" Amaya croaked, her voice rough from the smug. She felt guilty that Aizawa wasn't the first thing that came to her mind.

Midoriya looked at her in shock from her sudden question before he transformed his face into a mix of reassurance and sympathy.

"He's okay. He's currently in the hospital right now. His eyes and quirk might be in trouble but he's alive and will be fine," he explained, looking at the cat-girl's ears droop.

Determined Amaya moved to the side and threw her legs onto the floor standing up shakily.

"I have to see him," she stated as she tried to take a step forward and stumbled. Thankfully Midoriya rushed and caught her before she could fall.

Before he could argue with her that she needed to rest, two new voices called out.

"Look here little miss, you might've woken up before I thought you would, but you still need to rest. Your body is weak because of all that miasma you took in. That's a lot of poison for such a small body! Now lay back down!" A short, elderly woman with gray hair styled into a netted bun demanded, opening the curtain that gave Amaya her privacy and staring at her with a scolding look as well.

Amaya opened her mouth to protest but All Might entered the area, interrupting her.

"Listen to Recovery Girl Young Hitachi, Aizawa is fine and you can visit him once you're cleared but right now lay back down. Besides, unfortunately you cannot leave until we speak to the police."

Amaya stiffened in Midoriya's hold and the boy himself felt his face fall.

"The police? Is that really necessary? Didn't you explain to the captain what she did?" Midoriya asked, his tone coming out almost frustrated.

Amaya looked between both of them, so the captain of the police came in just to see her? She didn't know why she felt surprised she should've suspected it. Just because she attended a hero school didn't mean the public saw her as one. They'd always see her as a Hitachi.

All Might sighed, sitting on the bed nearby and shook his head.

"I too believe it is unnecessary, but it has to do with Young Hitachi's new quirk. Or I suppose hidden quirk, either way that quirk was never registered and well…" All Might trailed off looking at Amaya with worry, but there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Amaya sat back down on her bed and sighed. She never should've used that stupid quirk, or she should've at least told Aizawa about it once she knew she could trust him. Thinking about him made her chest hurt. She really needed to see him but now she might be sent back to prison all because she didn't reveal she had this dumb power.

No one spoke, they were patiently waiting for her to explain, but she was hesitant. She hadn't spoken about her quirk at length to anyone since the day that she received it. She was always taught to hide it, trained to control it and never reveal it. It was for good reason too. She would never forget the look of horror on her parents face when it appeared.

_Little four-year-old Amaya was playing tag with her younger brother Kou on the streets in front of her house. Even though they weren't supposed too, the twins usually played in this area because hardly anyone ever came down this specific road._

_As children their parents were always busy with their pro-hero work, so they had come to rely solely on each other for back up. They were both confident in each other's abilities to be able to do something if anything suspicious happened. Plus, even though the maids never checked to look after them with all the chores they had to deal with, the twins knew if they really needed help, they could shout for it. Even with a property as massive as theirs, there was always a maid somewhere._

_Their sweet, innocent laughter could be heard throughout the neighborhood as they chased each other around._

"_Nee-chan I'm going to get you!" Kou squealed, his stubby little legs racing to catch up to his big sister._

"_Haha! You wish!" Amaya laughed, pausing only to stick her tongue out at him before running away._

_The twins were so busy having fun that they didn't hear the rapid running of a large wild dog approaching them until it was too late._

_Amaya froze at hearing her little brother's scream. She quickly turned around and trembled as she watched Kou fall down at the paws of a snarling brown dog snapping its jaw near his frightened face._

_Snapping out of her dazed state she ran towards him crying and screaming, tiny fists raised._

"_Get off my brother! Get off of him! Bad dog!" Amaya cried, hitting the dog who barked loudly at her. Kou whimpered underneath, looking at his older sister for help._

_Where were the maids? Couldn't they hear all the chaos that was happening._

_Amaya couldn't dwell on the lack of staff and instead tried pushing the massive animal off, but it just wouldn't budge. It wasn't hurting Kou, but it was scaring him, and Amaya couldn't have that._

_Her fear transformed into anger and frustration at the stupid animal for not moving and causing her brother distress._

"_**I said get off!" **__Amaya shouted, her squeaky little voice changing into something darker. Her veins became black visible vines that crawled up her small body and her gold irises became white. Small purple tendrils came out of her arms and wrapped themselves around the dog, filling its lungs with miasma. It whimpered and staggered off her little brother who was sobbing too much to even notice what was happening._

_Amaya should've stopped there but there was something that was telling her to __**permanently**__ hurt the animal that made her brother cry._

_Looking at his curled up form, shaking and muttering for 'Mommy' confirmed her sinister thoughts._

"_**This is for Kou you stupid mutt!" **__The young girl raged, not knowing she was increasing the poison in the dog's body, only watching in malicious glee as it cried and shook on the ground._

"_Amaya stop! Stop child," her mother's voice cried out, running towards the children. She was coming home from work at the agency when she saw her sweet baby girl turn into a nasty dark figure torturing some brown dog, and her little Kou paralyzed on the ground sobbing._

_Her mother's voice shook Amaya out of… whatever that was. Instantly the tendrils disappeared, and she transformed back to normal. The mean side of her disappearing… for now._

"_What was that?! What did you do?!" Amaya's mother questioned, voice shaky as she looked at Amaya in disgusted shock, gathering Kou in her arms rocking the frightened boy. _

_Amaya tensed. She didn't know what she did. One moment she was trying to move the big bad dog off her brother, the next she started feeling mad and then nothing. It was like something overtook her mind and now she was back to reality with her mother furious and looking at her like she was some kind of monster, Kou sniffling and clinging onto their mother's chest and the brown dog slumped over on the floor not moving._

_**Not moving**__._

_Her eyes widened… Did she do that?_

"_Mama why isn't the dog moving? It was scaring Kou, so I tried to make it leave. I-I-I didn't mean to hurt it! Why isn't it moving?" Amaya shrieked, running over to the dog. She didn't make it too far before large hands grasped her small body and lifted her away._

"_I'm afraid that you killed that dog Amaya. Or at least your quirk did," her father explained, appearing suddenly. He too was arriving home when he saw his little girl's quirk appear for the first time. He had just watched, too shocked to do anything before his wife's loud voice got him moving. His tone was resigned and disappointed and Amaya's eyes filled with tears as she realized both her parents avoided eye contact with her. Her father might've been holding her, but she could feel the rigidness of his arms. They were scared of her._

"_B-but I didn't mean to papa. I promise! Please I didn't mean to hurt it! Please believe me!"_

"Amaya-chan? Are you alright?" Midoriya's soft voice questioned, bringing Amaya back into the moment.

She flinched not answering. No, she wasn't okay. She was in a lot of physical pain and really didn't want to talk about her quirk. But she knew she had to. Sighing, she looked at the three figures in front of her. Recovery Girl was sitting by her desk working on some papers, but Amaya knew she was listening. Still she appreciated that she wasn't being crowded. All Might and Midoriya were staring at her, but it wasn't in horror, just curiosity. They were calmly waiting for her to speak, whenever she was ready.

"_Guess this was going to happen sooner or later."_

"_**No shit Sherlock."**_

"_I thought you were tired, be quiet."_

Voice shaky she started, "Right so… my… parents were rather adamant about no one knowing about my true quirk. I know everyone thinks that my quirk is that I'm part feline but that's just because I got that from my… father's side. My real quirk was a mutation and supposed to be hidden because my parents thought people would judge me and treat me as a villain. Pretty ironic huh," Amaya laughed bitterly.

All Might, Recovery Girl and Midoriya all stayed quiet, the last one wincing at her tone.

"Anyways, my quirk is Miasma. I know you've seen my black cat tattoo, and well it actually works as a seal to keep my poison from coming out when I get too emotional. Someone with a sealing quirk that we knew did that for me as a favor. Anyways, to activate it I have to bite it and let it bleed and then my tendrils come out," she explained, holding out her trembling arm, showing off her misty black cat tattoo. Midoriya's eyes almost popped out of his head. That's why she had one and why she disliked it so much. He resisted the urge to write down everything she was saying and bit his tongue from interrupting her with questions.

"The tendrils are made of miasma so anything they touch starts to disintegrate and if living things breathe it in it'll poison them. I was trained to contain it and had only ever been allowed to release 50% of the poison that's in my body. That's why I'm here right now, if I use all of the poison, I have then it starts to affect me too. It's a very dangerous power that I've been forced to hide my entire life," Amaya sighed, scratching at the black tattoo, not wanting to explain that she also has an annoying and destructive inner beast that comes out whenever she uses it.

"_**Of course, just don't talk about me. How I'm a part of you. I'm that feral and animalistic side that you have hidden inside. Well guess what dumbass, I still exist even if you don't talk about me."**_

"_Not the time. Just rest right now!"_

"And well I realized I couldn't fight that Nomu thing on my own and well Aizawa he…" she couldn't continue as her throat closed up and tears formed in her eyes.

Midoriya quickly reached out and placed his hand on her arm, as did All Might.

"It's alright Young Hitachi, anyone would've done the same thing in your place. Everything will be fine," All Might reassured, giving her a smile.

"But won't the police take me in because I've hidden this? Aren't I going to be locked up again?" Amaya whispered, voice cracking on the last word.

"_**Ugh you're really letting yourself get emotional in front of these people? Stop embarrassing yourself, you're making yourself look weak."**_

"_Shut up, it's been a long day and I miss Aizawa and besides I don't think these guys want to lock me up."_

"_**Yea, you think."**_

"Don't worry Amaya-chan I'm sure that All Might won't let that happen. You helped save the day, they can't just take you away after that. You did what was best!" Midoriya encouraged, hating the vulnerable and lost look in her eyes. He was still curious about her quirk and that whole voice changing thing but right now he just wanted to reassure her. He needed her to know that people believed in her and weren't scared of her. He wasn't.

"Listen Young Hitachi, I know you are good, and I can understand why you've hidden this. I'll be with you when the police question you and will make you a promise that you'll continue to study to be a hero because that's what you were meant to be."

Midoriya nodded in agreement and Amaya felt a small smile slipping past her. For some reason she didn't feel the weight of her shock collar like usual. She still didn't understand why they were helping someone like her out, but it warmed her chest.

"Thank you."


	8. Seven

Amaya awoke to sunlight shining through crevices of the blinds in the nurse's office. She felt a bit sore but was ultimately much better than yesterday, Recovery Girl was a miracle worker. Granted the way Recovery Girl's quirk worked made Amaya uncomfortable, but she felt better than ever so who was she to judge?

She sat through the blinds and looked over at the chair where Midoriya sat last night. A pair of clothes that were not hers were in its place with a note on top. She furrowed her brows wondering who could've left them there since Aiza—

Aizawa.

Suddenly full of energy, not caring about how or who brought the clothes, Amaya changed into the simple purple hoodie and black sweats, letting the note fall carelessly to the floor. They were quite big on her, the sleeves completely covering her hands. The sweatpants dragged on the floor and the hoodie reached mid-thigh. Rolling the clothes up to the point where she wouldn't trip over them, she power walked through the small office on a mission to see Aizawa.

"Not so fast Young Hitachi," All Might's powerful voice announced, stepping and blocking Amaya's path. Normally she would've stopped without complaint, but right now her patience was running low at not having seen Aizawa since the attack.

Brow twitching, she looked at All Might with a hint of annoyance, "Yes?"

All Might sighed, he already knew what the girl's intentions were and he could understand her frustration.

"Young Hitachi I promise that you will be able to see Aizawa very soon. I've already spoken to the police about your quirk and defended you on your behalf. No interrogation needed, all you must do is sign some legal papers confirming what your actual quirk is and consenting to not using it unless permitted otherwise. After that I shall escort you to the hospital myself," All Might clearly explained, finishing off with a bright smile.

Amaya narrowed her eyes at him. She wished she could do this legal stuff later, but she'd do anything to see Aizawa, so she relented. She didn't miss the fact that All Might had to "escort" her to the hospital. Probably just wanted to keep tabs on her new quirk.

She bit her lip nervously and wrapped her tail around her arm. It was official now; everybody knew of that blasted quirk. There was no hiding her true nature and she just knew that any progress she made with her classmates probably went down the drain. More so if they saw her in action. As she walked alongside All Might on the streets, she could feel the stares of everyone on her.

"_**Jesus kid relax. These people probably don't know about us. If anything, they're staring because you're with the buff guy over here. Calm your panties and stop acting like a little bitch."**_

"_Is this your way of comforting me? Are you comforting me?"_

"_**As if, I don't need your dumbass to be anxious is all."**_

"_Whatever should've known better. I guess you're right though, I shouldn't care, this had to come out at some point. All I need to worry about is seeing Aizawa."_

With that goal in mind Amaya prepared herself for the worst. Anything to see her hero.

* * *

Thankfully everything at the police station ran smoothly and Amaya and All Might got out of there pretty quickly. It really was just a simple matter of signing papers which Amaya appreciated. She didn't know if she could open up about her quirk once again. While she could've gone without the nasty looks some of the cops gave her, she knew that was impossible.

Walking with the number one pro-hero was very weird and left many staring at the pair in shock. Amaya would've fangirled if not for the situation and reason why she **had **to walk besides such a tremendous hero. It also sucked that wherever they went people would come around to catch a glimpse of All Might and then see her. She felt lucky that All Might was with her otherwise she knew mobs would be after her. Today sucked.

Yet Amaya had a few things to brighten her day. She couldn't help the small blush and shy smile that spread on her face every time she stared at the purple hoodie she wore. Even though she hadn't seen the note that was left on the floor, in her haste to see Aizawa, All Might explained that a tired Shinso had been worried about the USJ attack he saw on the news and visited her in the morning. He apparently didn't want to disturb her rest but noticed all she had was a hospital gown and so brought a pair of comfy clothes for her to change into when she woke up.

"_Hehe. Who would've thought Shinso could be so thoughtful and caring? I don't know why he did so much but it's very sweet of him."_

"_**Just remember that he's gonna find out about us and that nice side of his might disappear like you in this stupidly long hoodie."**_

"_Quiet. I don't need to think of useless things right now, I'm going to see Aizawa."_

That shut her mind quickly and she focused on walking through the hospital's halls. With each step Amaya took, she felt like her body was becoming heavy. She didn't know why she was so nervous about seeing Aizawa, she missed him like crazy.

"_Maybe that's it…"_

All Might and her paused in front of Aizawa's hospital room door, All Might stared at her patiently waiting for her to move but she couldn't. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see Aizawa all hurt. The image of his face slamming into the ground was so traumatic she didn't know what she'd feel once she saw the total damage.

All Might felt for the cat girl, he really did. He reached out to comfort her, but she straightened up before he could, face determined. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The sound of a steady beeping filled the quiet room, and Amaya walked forwards on trembling legs.

Right by the entrance she could see Thirteen resting on the bed. Her medical condition caused Amaya's stomach to churn looking over all the damage this teacher took protecting the class. If this is what Thirteen looked like, then Aiz—

"_Breathe. Just breathe and take small steps."_

Taking a deep breath, she slowly started making her way to the drawn curtain near the corner of the room. _"Just like a Band-Aid." _With that thought in mind she almost ripped the curtain off with how strong and fast she pushed it.

There on the white cot was her caretaker, her guardian, her **hero**. His black locks sprawled on the pillow, all bandaged up, head to toe like a mummy. She'd never seen Aizawa so weak, so vulnerable and defenseless before. Pressure built in her gold eyes, her body shuddered, hating how much he struggled to breathe.

She shakily took the open seat near him and just looked at his damaged body. It only took a few seconds of watching him for her breaths to start coming out faster. She felt the room closing in and gripped her chair to stabilize herself. Her head ached, the pressure was building and becoming unbearable now. All Might's voice was fading from the background.

Was this her fault? She should've just fought Midoriya and dashed to help Aizawa, consequences be damned. Or she should've used her miasma the minute she saw that disgusting creature near him even if she'd be seen as a monster.

"_**Those bastards will pay. They'll regret ever hurting Aizawa."**_

"_Aizawa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so—"_

"Young Hitachi! He's alright! Please get a hold of yourself!" All Might exclaimed, shaking the girl lightly from her shoulders. He knew she'd be affected seeing Aizawa in this state, but he didn't realize it went this deep. The poor girl was having a panic attack.

Wide feral eyes looked around the room and small whimpers started escaping her. He had to strain his hearing to catch her mutterings of "I'm sorry."

All Might frowned, feeling once again the overwhelming urge to hug the petite teen. Seeing her breaking down and absolutely terrified pulled at his heart strings, it reminded him of whenever Midoriya cried. He didn't know how else to calm her down and briefly wondered if he should get a nurse.

The small girl slowly reached out to touch Aizawa's hand but stopped herself. Did she even have the right to do that? She'd been avoiding him all because she was too scared to admit that she—

"I-I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Amaya whispered, tone broken and breathless. She held her hand back, ashamed and guilty, and wrapped her arms around herself. Her tail hugged her waist and her black ears were so low on her head they could've been mistaken for hair.

All Might's hands dropped from her shoulders and he couldn't stop himself from gaping at the cat-girl. He knew that Hitachi could love, she was human after all, but he'd never expected her to openly admit loving someone and Aizawa no-less.

"Why are you upset? I'm not dead," a deep voice croaked out.

Amaya's watery gaze snapped to Aizawa's wrapped head, not believing he spoke.

"It's not your fault kid, I heard what you did and I'm proud," Aizawa's raspy voice softly called out.

"A-Aizawa?" Amaya gasped, reaching out to touch him but then hesitating.

She felt a large hand lightly place her own on Aizawa's bandaged one and turned her head up to meet All Might's warm gaze.

"It's alright Young Hitachi, you won't hurt him," All Might gently encouraged, giving Amaya one of his bright smiles.

All the pressure exploded with All Might's words, allowing Amaya to finally let loose and cry. Eyes turning bright red, nose twitching and sniffling, Amaya let herself ugly cry as she softly grasped Aizawa's hand. Aizawa slowly grasped her hand back, only helping in producing more tears and hiccups to come out of the girl.

"I-I'm so-sorry! I-I didn't m-mean to ignore you! I just…. I really care about you Aizawa! I-I love you and that scared me. But I'm not scared of that anymore!" Amaya blubbered, rushing through her sentences and face flushing at admitting her true feelings.

Although no one could see, Aizawa's eyes also filled with tears and he felt warmth blossom at the girl's earnest words. He ignored his own pain for a moment and squeezed her hand as hard as he could.

"Me too kid. Me too."

* * *

Amaya didn't know when, but she fell asleep in the uncomfortable chair, head resting on Aizawa's bed, her hand still clutching his.

All Might had left the young girl with Aizawa knowing that she wasn't a threat, believing the police were just being too strict with restricting and watching her. Aizawa had fallen asleep for a bit after the girl's cries had calmed down and she decided to sit with him for the rest of the day. He was awake now and felt a sense of relief, despite his pain, at seeing Amaya peacefully resting. He never expected her to care for him as much as he did for her, but it felt so nice.

Aizawa's been teaching for some time now and so he was used to dealing with snotty-nosed brats. He was also getting used to caring for his students, even the ones that annoyed the hell out of him. However even he could admit that he's never cared about a student as much as he has for Amaya. His pride and personality weren't meant for soft, gentle, affectionate love. It still wasn't. But with Amaya, he couldn't help but make some sort of exception, wanting to protect her as if she was his child.

Maybe it was because of her past, though he knew some pretty sad backstories himself. No that wasn't it, he knew it was because of her determination, her pure honest feelings of wanting to help others. Aizawa wouldn't lie, he's met lots of kids with the same feelings, he's a hero teacher for god's sake. Yet he's never lived with those kids. He's never had to see a student's scared but fierce eyes looking back at him every day, measuring him and debating whether he was good enough to trust. He didn't have the opportunity to see day by day as a child grew comfortable in his household and himself like he did with Amaya.

He knew he slipped up sometimes with showing his care for Amaya, but he never regretted it. Other students might catch on to his care for Amaya and think he was giving her special treatment. It wasn't really fair but life didn't seem to be fair to her either so he wanted to help her out however he could. His efforts were not in vain and he could clearly see that she appreciated it and was making an effort to better herself every day.

Aizawa never saw himself as a parental figure, but maybe, just maybe, if Amaya did, it wasn't so bad.

* * *

U.A. had closed down for the rest of the week in order to let the chaos die down and for the teachers and students involved in the USJ incident time to heal.

It was very much needed, not just because they had to rest and take care of their physical injuries but it also helped with processing what actually happened. They were attacked by villains... that surely had to have left some form of PTSD on the students. At least it did for Amaya; ever since she got home her night terrors started. However instead of them being ugly memories of her past, she would now wake up screaming at night because of monstrous creatures, the sounds of Aizawa's bones breaking and red eyes.

She knew these nightmares would be with her for a while and Aizawa's missing presence didn't help. Hopefully once he came home they would away.

Nightmares weren't the only annoying occurrence in Amaya's schedule this week; Amaya's week was filled with her either visiting Aizawa in the hospital or going home to feed Mochi, unfortunately with a guard following her everywhere but the bathroom each day.

_"Seriously, they find out I have this quirk and it's like starting from scratch. 'Watch out for the villain's kid!'"_

**"**_**What **__**did you expect, dumbass? These chumps are always going to be scared of you. I don't know why you don't let me come out to show them just how dangerous I can really be."**_

_"Because I'm not trying to get shocked or shot."_

**"**_**Fine... wimp."**_

Amaya huffed at her inner beast, ignoring the confused looks from her current guard walking her to Aizawa's room. Amaya felt lighter at seeing her guardian sitting up in his bed. He was making a steady recovery, albeit still looking like a mummy, and didn't seem to be in much pain these days.

"Aizawa, I fed Mochi and cleaned the house so that it's all nice for when you can come back to sleep in your own bed," Amaya happily hummed, a small smile on her face as she sat down in her chair.

"Thanks kid, I'm glad I can leave today. I've missed that fat cat and my sleeping bag," Aizawa sighed, moving his body and legs to touch the floor, ready to stand.

Amaya absentmindedly nodded looking through her novel when she processed his words.

_"Wait. What?!"_

"Aizawa what do you mean today? You still need to rest!" Amaya exclaimed, standing in front of him and gently placing her hand on his bandaged chest.

"If I stay here any longer, I'll go mad. Besides, classes start again tomorrow, and I have to prepare," Aizawa explained, lightly slapping the small cat-girl's hand away and trying to stand.

Amaya allowed it, giving him space but frowned watching his slow movements.

"You're being stubborn, I don't see any reason for you to come back to classes. Besides, you've been given time off to rest. Why not use it?" Amaya whined, looking at Aizawa's form in concern.

Although she couldn't see it, she felt Aizawa giving her a tired look.

"Look kid, I know you're worried but pro-heroes get banged up all the time. I'm alive and recovering, I can't stay and use up this bed when someone else might need it more. So, let's just go home alright?" Aizawa drawled out, limping slightly as he collected his clothes and walked into the bathroom to change.

Amaya pouted, understanding his actions but not happy with them either. No one wanted him to come back home more than her, but she also didn't want to risk him hurting himself. Amaya knew Aizawa wasn't weak and that he'd be fine at home, but she couldn't stop the feelings of concern at watching him push himself. Sighing, she knew how stubborn he was and instead made herself useful by gathering all his belongings, a pout still present on her face.

Once Aizawa returned from changing he took note of Amaya's face and felt just a bit guilty for making her worry. He patted her head, feeling relief at her face transforming from a pout into a slight smile. He gave a small grin back and both started to walk out the hospital room. Aizawa noticed the guard standing near the entrance and felt miffed at the fact that Amaya had to deal with this for a whole week. That's another reason why he had to return, not that he'd let Amaya know. She needed him more now than ever because the government was even more scared of her, since they discovered her real quirk. He only caught a glimpse of her power considering he was struggling not to pass out at the time, but from what All Might explained, it was a strong quirk. He had to be there to stop guards from following her and possibly 'punishing' her, he had to make sure the public didn't swarm her, he needed to be there for her.

"I got it from here, you can leave now," Aizawa addressed the guard, his voice coming out bored.

The guard looked hesitant but seeing Aizawa's piercing glare, stepped back and walked away. Aizawa noticed Amaya's shoulders relax and wondered if she'd been tense this entire week. He knew the unfortunate answer and felt confident in his actions to move forward. He knew she felt better in his presence and felt satisfied at being able to give her this comfort at least.

"Let's get home so I can take a nap," he yawned, walking ahead.

Amaya smirked, giving him a look. "I thought you wanted to go home to work?"

"Same thing."

* * *

Amaya hadn't felt this anxious since her first day of school. She didn't know who actually saw her quirk and who just heard of it. She also didn't know how her classmates and teachers were going to treat her now.

She felt comforted by the fact that Aizawa was going to be there today but felt guilty that he was probably pushing himself for her.

**"**_**Ugh would you relax? Aizawa knows what he's doing and who cares what these assholes think. It wasn't like you were popular to begin with."**_

_"Thanks… I think?"_

Amaya huffed, shaking her head to get rid of all negative thoughts. Today was just another day she had to get through. Midoriya didn't seem to hate her and hopefully Shinso still liked her. Maybe Iida and Uraraka wouldn't judge her either. All she could do was focus on why she was at U.A. in the first place: to help others.

With that mindset in place she ignored the incident at USJ and the fact that Aizawa said he wanted to see her quirk in action to train it. Her lack of sleep and nightmares also didn't help with her paranoia but she ignored that too. That didn't matter, what mattered was that she wasn't late to class right now.

Amaya walked to class at a regular pace, not looking at anyone even when she could feel their burning stares. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for class 1-A's handle but hearing her fellow classmates' loud conversations put her at ease. They were all safe and she was glad. Feeling calmer she slid the door open and walked through.

Silence and stares greeted her.

**"**_**Well this is fucking awkward."**_

Trying her hardest to not be affected she briskly stepped over to her seat, keeping her tired face neutral. She didn't know who was looking at her, but she didn't care, keeping her gold eyes trained only on her seat, glad for once that it was in the corner away from everyone.

Midoriya frowned at his classmates, he didn't like how they all were staring at Amaya, like she was some kind of monster. He felt frustrated that some of them actually believed she was a part of the villain's group and almost yelled at them when Amaya entered. He noticed that she looked more tired than usual, she also seemed to be masking her emotions and he felt guilty that she had to resort to that.

Bakugo kept his eyes trained on the cat-girl for a completely different reason. He didn't see exactly what that pipsqueak's quirk was like Deku, but he had arrived with Shitty Hair just as that damned Nomu was being destroyed and that small extra passed out. Someone small like her actually caused serious damage to that monster and with a hidden quirk no less. It irritated him that she had been holding back and hiding her quirk the entire time. Did she really think she needed to 'protect' him from her quirk? That she was better than him with that stupid quirk? Heh, he didn't care what her quirk was, he'd seen that she could take care of herself without it. He just couldn't wait to now beat her when she wasn't holding back.

Todoroki watched Hitachi in mild annoyance and interest. He knew she was smart in terms of combat strategy and quite resourceful, but he never knew she had such a powerful quirk. It made him wonder why she didn't use it before, but he could guess it probably wasn't in her best interest to do so. Still… that girl.

Thankfully before anyone could make a comment, Iida burst through the door surprising the class.

"Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!" he commanded, standing in the front with his arms spread out, overlooking the class.

Iida's sudden appearance seemed to make everyone forget about Amaya for a moment. Instead they used their energy to tease Iida.

Amaya felt bad but her mouth twitched upward, wanting to laugh at the class for reprimanding Iida. Although, Amaya was grateful for the distraction and let herself grin towards him, even if Iida didn't know what he did.

Aizawa entered shortly after, causing a ruckus. Many of the students couldn't believe he was back after that villain attack and were looking at him like he was crazy. Amaya couldn't help but agree, even if she knew why he was back that didn't stop her from frowning at his actions.

"My well-being doesn't matter. More importantly, the fight is not over yet," Aizawa spoke, raising concern and unease in the class.

_"Wait what fight? He didn't mention any fight? He's too injured! What the —"_

"The U.A. sports festival is drawing near," he muttered, staring blankly at the class.

Amaya's tail, which had been swaying in nervousness, dropped at his sentence. She felt a twinge of annoyance hit her for Aizawa's dramatic way of making causal announcements.

_"Seriously?! If it's just a dumb sports festival, he didn't have to make the atmosphere all weird. He's going to cause me a heart attack one day I swear."_

The rest of the class began cheering, excited to do something completely normal. Well… most of the class. Some students were concerned about having the sports festival so soon after the USJ incident happened. However, Aizawa was quick to reassure them. U.A. was going through with the sports festival to show the world that they weren't shaken by some villains and that the school's security was top notch. Besides, this wasn't a normal sports festival either apparently.

Amaya had heard her middle school classmates gush about how prestigious U.A. was. She'd even seen its name pop up in the news when she occasionally caught a glimpse of the TV while living with Ms. Reí. She'd be stupid not to notice all the great pro-heroes that taught here and knew this was a top tier institution. However, she didn't realize how publicized and important this sports festival was. She should've guessed considering how much money this school seems to have, but still… All her childhood she was secluded from these public showings, only having time to train and study with Kou. So, she hated to admit it, but she was utterly clueless, even Mineta knew what it was.

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events…"

_"Did he say Japan?!"_

"In the past, the Olympics was a sports festival, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken place in those Olympics is the U.A. sports festivals," Aizawa explained gazing at every student, ending it on Amaya.

Amaya looked back at him with her eyes wide and ears perked. She understood that as a hero school courses and events had to be elevated but they were still in high school!

"Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching. For scouting purposes!" Yaoyorozu cheerfully added, her energy making the other students add on.

Amaya on the other hand was still stuck on the fact that the entire country was going to be watching this event, more specifically watching her.

_**"Well isn't this just a shit show. Win or lose, you'll still get booed. I bet you won't even be able to compete, everyone's too much of wuss to deal with you. More so now that they know I exist."**_

Amaya frowned at the voice in her head and started chewing on her lip. It wasn't wrong. Would she even be able to compete? Were they going to let someone like her be out there in the field with all those students? She knew she'd never harm anyone but in the world's eyes she was still the daughter of monsters. Even if she could compete everyone would hope she'd lose. Managing to give herself a headache she faced plopped on her desk hoping to ignore everyone. Sadly, Aizawa's last words made it nearly impossible to do so.

"Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open at this event. One chance a year, a total of just three chances. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event!"

Amaya quietly groaned and pulled at her hair in frustration.

_**"Oh yea. You're fucked."**_

_"I know."_

* * *

Lunchtime finally came around and Amaya felt like she could breathe again. As she prepared herself to go, all she could hear were her classmates' enthusiastic cries of the sports festival. She winced at Uraraka's deep declaration that she was going to do her best at the festival, just wanting to forget about that event. As much as Amaya would love to support her classmate, she was too busy dwelling on her fate. On the bright side everyone was so focused with the sports festival that nobody even looked at Amaya in fear or commented about her quirk. At least she could enjoy her lunch in peace today.

"Hey Amaya-chan! Come eat lunch with us today? Please!" Uraraka pleaded, causing Amaya's eyes to widen.

_"Wait? She isn't scared of my 'new' quirk?"_

"Yes Amaya-san, we've tried multiple times to invite you with us, but you always leave before we get the chance. We're sorry for our poor behavior the last time and truly wish to enjoy our meals with you," Iida apologized, bowing at the end of his statement.

Amaya felt her cheeks flush, only used to people apologizing out of fear but not because they actually meant it. She didn't understand. They had to have known about her quirk. Even if they didn't see it, her other classmates did and probably gossiped about her. Besides the news made it public knowledge that she did have a 'secret' quirk, although they thankfully didn't know what it was and couldn't reveal it. Still she received dirty looks so much more now when she walked around. When Aizawa was in the hospital Amaya didn't know what she hated more: Aizawa hurt, having to be guarded like a criminal, or being slightly glad to have a guard because it looked like people wanted to hurt her. She could still hear people shouting at her.

_"You should be arrested for hiding information like that from the government!"_

_"What's your quirk villain! We have the right to know for our safety!"_

_"As if your parents didn't do enough damage, now we have to deal with you too!"_

_"They should've kept you locked up like the dirty animal you are."_

Amaya shook her head from the onslaught of memories. Right now, she had to focus on Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya waiting for her to answer.

"Wait. You guys still want to have lunch with me? Even with a quirk like mine?" Amaya asked, her voice coming out frazzled and slightly insecure.

Midoriya softly smiled and stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Your quirk doesn't make you a villain. And it doesn't change our mind about you. We just want to eat with our fellow classmate and friend," he gently affirmed, turning red as he realized he touched her, stepping back to give her space, all while sputtering like a cute dork.

Uraraka and Iida came closer as well, smiling kindly.

"I didn't see what your quirk was, but I did hear about it and all it seems like to me is powerful. I'm not going to stop being friends with you because of something like that," Uraraka calmly added on, squeezing Amaya's arm in comfort.

_"Friend? I'm a friend? Their friend? Even though I'm like this and my parents are villains?"_

Amaya felt heat in her eyes and only by pure pride was she able to resist them from watering. A small sincere smile made its way across her face.

"I appreciate that you guys took the time to seek me out and I'm grateful you accept me even like this. I'd really like to eat lunch with you guys—"

_**"What about that tall insomniac?"**_

Her face dropped in realization. That's right. She still had to talk to Shinso! While Amaya did want to eat with this group, she and Shinso already established a comfortable lunch routine. Plus, she needed to know how he felt about her quirk.

"But I already have a prior commitment. You see I usually eat with someone else during lunch and—"

"Y-you could always invite them! I-if you want I m-mean. Unless you don't then…" Midoriya interrupted, mumbling to himself at the end.

Amaya felt her tense smile relax at listening to Midoriya's rambling voice.

"I'll have to ask. But maybe I could walk with you guys to the cafeteria?" Amaya asked, cringing at her awkward tone.

Thankfully the other three didn't notice it and nodded to the idea, still smiling brightly.

"Let's go!" Uraraka giggled, leading the way. Amaya trailed off behind her, taking a moment to reel herself in. This was real. They still talked to her and didn't judge her. Midoriya even called her as their friend. This was so weird, but Amaya could get used to this group.

"You seem more tired than usual Amaya-chan is everything alright?" Midoriya asked, his face full of worry as he once again glanced at the dark circles under the cat girl's eyes.

Amaya jumped a little at being spoken to, her mind in the middle of taking in the comfortable silence from before.

"Oh yea I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping since the attack," she shrugged, looking ahead.

Uraraka nodded in understanding, "Me too. It was really frightening, I can't believe pros deal with this everyday."

"Being a hero is no easy task, what they do is truly admirable. I hope we too will one day achieve the same level of greatness as them," Iida added on. Midoriya agreed and the group was chill for a bit before Midoriya interrupted the silence once more.

"By the way Uraraka-chan I was wondering," Midoriya started, looking intently at Uraraka.

"Yes?" she answered back, stopping to look at him.

"Why did you decide to come to U.A. and become a pro-hero?" he questioned, his innocent face peering at her curiously. Amaya and Iida stopped as well, both wanting to hear the carefree girl's response.

"Huh? Um… because…" she trailed off, explaining her reason.

Amaya dug her claws into her hand to stop herself from reacting. The minor pain kept her from scowling and glaring at Uraraka. Uraraka was a sweet girl, she had to have a better reason for being a hero. To become one for something as frivolous as money it just… it disgusted her.

"You want to become a hero for money?" Midoriya exclaimed, also taken aback by Uraraka's reasoning.

Uraraka nervously rubbed that back of her head, her voice coming out shaky. "To boil it down simply… yes. Sorry it's such an unwholesome reason!" she apologized, her face demonstrating true guilt.

_"At least she knows her reason isn't the best."_

_**"Still shitty."**_

"I know you all must have such admirable motivations. It's so embarrassing…" Uraraka sighed, turning her body away in shame.

Amaya bit her lip to stop herself from adding on, but Iida's comment made her choke.

"Why? How is having a goal to support your livelihood not admirable?" He chimed in, honestly supporting her. Amaya had to take a step back, an action noticed by Midoriya who quickly glanced at her in concern.

_"Iida too? He thinks that's enough of a reason to become a hero. What's wrong with these guys?"_

_**"Heh told you. You shouldn't get close to people, especially so-called heroes. They only know how to let you down."**_

"Right… but it's unexpected," Midoriya added, not judging Uraraka but still surprised by her answer.

_"At least Midoriya doesn't seem to agree that much. I knew he was different."_

_**"We'll see if that piece of broccoli isn't a total dickwad too."**_

Frowning at the mean comment, Amaya ignored her inner beast and tried to listen to Uraraka's explanation. She prayed Uraraka wasn't like those fake heroes, otherwise….

"My family owns a construction company, but we haven't gotten any work at all, so we're flat broke. With my quirk there'd be no need to pay for equipment and I could help my parents with buildings. I've told my dad to let me help him with the company since I was a little girl but, he's adamant that I should follow my dreams…" Uraraka's voice dropped to a quiet tone at the end, her body hunching over as she remembered something. Instantly she did a 180 and clenched her fists tight, looking at the group with resolution.

"I'll definitely become a hero and make money and let my parents take it easy!" Uraraka announced, her brown eyes lit with fiery determination.

Amaya stared back at Uraraka intensely. Her reasoning wasn't completely egotistical or shallow. Amaya still hated it and honestly Uraraka could've just studied for a career that makes a lot of money if that was her only reason. But Amaya chose to believe that Uraraka also wanted to become a hero for good reasons. Amaya hoped that Uraraka was in U.A. not only to help her parents, which admittedly isn't terrible, but also because she was following her dream. Amaya begged to any deity that existed that the gravity girl's dream brought pure intentions.

_"I don't think I could ever hate Uraraka. I mean we are friends now. I suppose wanting to be a hero to make good money for her family isn't awful. She must really love her family if she's willing to be a hero with that motivation in mind."_

_**"Tch. Whatever, heroes still suck. There's no such thing as a hero, and you and the rest of these dweebs will never be one."**_

Ignoring the cruel thoughts Amaya gave Uraraka an awkward smile and turned towards the boys, ignoring Iida's wild clapping and cheering. Just as she was going to try and leave, All Might appeared, asking Midoriya out for lunch. Amaya couldn't help but stare between the two confused but didn't say anything and took that as her chance to leave as well.

_"You know I never noticed it until now, but All Might and Midoriya seem kinda close. I wonder what their relationship is?"_

Departing quickly, she walked towards the classroom where Shinso and her usually had lunch. She couldn't help but find All Might's invitation to Midoriya as cute. Like a father wanting to spend time with his son. Gold eyes widened at the thought.

_"No way. I mean there's no way, right? Could Midoriya really be All Might's son? Maybe an illegitimate child?"_

_**"Who the hell cares. You shouldn't. Focus on you, not some dumbass kids."**_

Deciding that maybe listening to the voice in her head wasn't such a bad idea, Amaya opened the door to the abandoned classroom and crashed into a broad chest. The force from the impact was more than her small body could handle and she began falling backwards until two arms grasped her waist, steadying her.

Face flushed, she quickly brought her gaze to meet Shinso's surprised expression and noticed his own red cheeks. It was quiet for a second before Shinso realized he was still holding onto her and immediately let go, taking a step back. Both avoided eye contact and Amaya placed her hand on her chest, hoping to calm down her spiked up heart rate.

Thankfully before she could say anything embarrassing, Shinso spoke up.

"Are you okay? I heard about what happened at the USJ event," he muttered, still avoiding looking at her face.

Amaya coughed, clearing her closed up throat and shakily responded with, "Oh um yeah I'm okay. I noticed you dropped clothes off for me. I don't know why you'd do something so kind for someone like me, but I appreciate it. I'll return them to you tomorrow."

Having gotten over his embarrassment, Shinso looked at Amaya in disbelief. What did she mean by someone like her?

"You may be a part of those idiots in class 1-A but you're actually not that bad. Why wouldn't I do that for you?" he asked, his tired purple eyes staring at her in mild concern.

Amaya bit her lip and moved her eyes to look at his chest instead. "Why would you even want to be associated with a **villain** like me? Haven't you heard; I have a dangerous quirk that I've kept hidden. Aren't you scared I'll hurt you?" she bitterly questioned, tone frustrated, and hands clenched so hard her knuckles turned white.

Shinso felt something swell in his chest. He knew exactly what this girl was feeling, and he hated that. Without warning he grabbed her skinny arm and pulled her through the classroom, closing the door and making her sit in the nearest desk. Amaya didn't even have time to protest or fight back because her mind was still stuck in a negative space. Shinso sat in the desk next to hers and then proceeded to gently flick her forehead.

Amaya frowned and brought her hands up to her head, hissing slightly at the sudden pain. Before she could curse at him for that he began to speak again.

"Idiot. Look you're you. Not your parents and not your quirk. I don't care about that crap. You're quiet and weird and pretty antisocial but you're not evil. You are not a villain. So, stop moping and let's eat. If you're going to be like those dumb heroes then you're going to need to build more muscle on that scrawny body of yours," with that said Shinso pulled out his bento and started eating, a small tint of red coloring his cheeks.

Amaya couldn't stop her own blush and she felt a smile slip out.

_"Shinso really is such a sweet guy."_

Nodding, she began eating as well, looking over at the purple haired guy every few seconds.

Curious and a bit self-conscious, Shinso looked back at her with what he hoped was a bored expression. "What is it?" he drawled out, trying to appear irritated.

"It's nothing really. Just… you're very kind Shinso. I was wondering why someone as nice as you ate lunch alone and, well I guess now with me. I'd assume you have friends in your general course classes," Amaya admitted, shaking her head and smiling a little more.

Shinso controlled his face from appearing too shocked by her comment but his eyes showed surprise. He shrugged at her and turned his head away.

"Let's just say you and I aren't so different."

That's all he said on the matter, leaving Amaya curious but she could see he didn't feel the need to continue their conversation. Nodding, she kept eating her own food.

The rest of that lunch was spent in a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.

* * *

After lunch the rest of Amaya's day was thankfully uneventful. Her classmates would stare at her at times in fear or curiosity but didn't have the guts to speak to her which she was glad for. She couldn't help but mentally cheer when it was time to leave, emotionally exhausted from everything today. As she prepared her things to go, she noticed her classmates not moving and heard a commotion coming from out the entrance of the classroom. Black brow raised, she stepped forward until she was next to Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka.

Outside room 1-A was a crowd of students Amaya had never seen before, blocking the door.

Iida stepped forward, raising his hand and addressed the crowd. "What business do you have with class 1-A?"

"We can't get out! What'd you come here for anyway?" Mineta added, his small fist raised in annoyance.

"Scouting out the enemy, small fry," Bakugo calmly explained, moving through the students and heading out to the entrance, not intimated in the least.

_**"Pfft. Small fry. He's kinda funny. Why don't you dumbasses just leave already? Blondie ain't scared."**_

"_Well there's a big crowd in front of us and I'm not good with that, so I'll just stay here."_

"We're the ones who made it out of the villains' attack. They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival," he continued, looking at the crowd in boredom.

"_**Hey, angry porcupine makes a good point. Damn if he was always this cool, he'd actually be decent to hang with."**_

"_Right…"_

"There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way extras!" Bakugo exclaimed, irritation dripping off him in waves.

"_**Wow. He's got balls. Almost respectable."**_

"_He's also rude and pissing these guys off!"_

"Stop calling people 'extras' just because you don't know them!" Iida reprimanded making exaggerated hand motions. Midoriya and Uraraka looked nervously between Bakugo and the crowd, who were quickly becoming angry.

"I came to see what the famous class 1-A was like, but you seem pretty arrogant," a new voice called out, tired and familiar.

"_Wait isn't that—"_

Shinso began pushing through the horde of students and ended up staring directly into Bakugo's eyes, his gaze unwavering.

"_What the hell is Shinso doing?"_

Still speaking, Shinso directed his question to Bakugo. "Are all the students in the hero course like this?"

"HAH!" Bakugo growled, Midoriya and Uraraka shaking their heads to try and communicate to Shinso to stop.

Shinso didn't care.

"Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. There are quite a few people who enrolled into general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?" his focus was only on Bakugo, but Amaya couldn't tear her eyes away from Shinso.

"_Wait. Is that why he hates heroes, or rather, 1-A? He tried to get into the hero course but failed? What was his quirk? Why didn't he make it in? Why didn't he tell me?"_

Amaya felt bad for Shinso, wishing that he would've explained this to her, feeling hurt that he didn't.

"'_Let's just say you and I aren't that so different.' What does that mean? Why didn't he tell me?"_

"_**Ugh shut up! You're so annoying. It's his business, why the hell should he tell you? You guys eat lunch but are you really friends? And if, ew, you are then he doesn't have to tell you shit. Stop being a whiny bitch."**_

Amaya bit her lip, tunning into Shinso and Bakugo's interaction, not wanting to deal with her thoughts. She didn't want to admit that her beast was right and just wanted this hurt feeling to disappear.

"The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems that they may also transfer people out," Shinso said, watching as most of class 1-A stiffened in surprise.

_**"Aw shit. Now we gotta deal with this crap?"**_

"Scouting out the enemy? I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet from under you. Consider this my declaration of war," Shinso finished, smirking at the class. He made eye contact with everyone and when his eyes caught Amaya's gold stare they softened for the slightest moment before hardening once more.

"Shinso," Amaya whispered, grasping her arm in comfort. She nodded towards him, not that he could see.

"_If Shinso is declaring war then he's serious. I support him 100%! I hope to see you succeed in the festival!"_

_**"****This dude also has balls. Hmm. Didn't see that coming."**_

Amaya straightened and fiercely peered into Shinso, closing her hand into a fist and nodding. Shinso noticed the action and looked away, trying not to feel affected by her but the smallest smile slipped before he turned to leave.

Shinso's declaration started a domino effect in which all the other students started harassing and warning class 1-A about the festival.

"HEY! HEY HEY HEY! I'm from class 1-B next door! I heard you fought against villains, so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself!" Some muscular dude shouted, amping up the crowd.

Bakugo simply walked away seeming disinterested in the guy's exclamation, pissing said dude off more.

"Wait a minute Bakugo! What're you gonna do about all this? It's your fault that everyone's hating on us!" Kirishima called out, voicing the rest of the class's thoughts.

"It doesn't matter," Bakugo claimed.

The class looked at him like he was crazy, which honestly didn't seem too far-fetched.

"It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top," he finished, tone never coming out angry, only determined as he pushed through the students.

_**"Not gonna lie... that was pretty hot."**_

"_What?"_

Blushing at her own inner-comments Amaya quickly walked away, trying to head the same direction as Bakugo, hoping to disperse her embarrassing thoughts.

As she walked, she heard passing comments around her.

"Heh so it's true, class 1-A lets a villain in but not me? I'm definitely going to take her spot."

"Oh my! It's Hitachi, why on earth would they ever let someone like her compete, surely she's going to hurt us!"

"That kitty won't last two seconds in the arena."

Gritting her teeth, she walked towards Aizawa's office, forcing herself to brush off everyone's comments.

**"**_**Some heroes. If we're allowed to play, I'm definitely going to give them something to talk about."**_

"_Shush! We're not hurting anyone."_

_**"****Boring."**_

Rolling her eyes, Amaya entered the office and turned to see Aizawa getting ready to leave, for once not sleeping on the floor. He looked up at the sound and nodded towards her.

"Hey kid, I'm just about ready, let's go."

The two dark-haired figures began their trek home, avoiding Amaya's fellow classmates from seeing them and enjoying the quiet. Well Aizawa was, Amaya was trying not to freak out about this whole sports festival thing.

"You're really nervous huh?" Aizawa suddenly spoke, causing the cat girl to almost trip in surprise.

"Huh? Oh umm… yea. I've only just heard about this event and it seems like such a big deal. Am I even allowed to participate?" Amaya mumbled, rubbing her tail between her fingers for comfort.

Aizawa sighed and took out his keys to open the front door of their complex. "Of course, you're allowed to participate. You're in class 1-A, right?" he rhetorically asked, opening the door and taking his shoes off.

Amaya copied his actions, but slower. Hesitantly she called out, "Even with my quirk? I mean aren't you guys scared of it?"

Aizawa turned and stared right at her, analyzing her question. "Kid you said there's a seal on it right. Meaning only, you can use that quirk if you truly wish to do so?"

"I mean yea, but I would never—"

"Why not?" he asked, shocking Amaya to the point that she dropped her bag to the floor with a resounding plop noise.

"What?"

"You heard me. Why not? It's your quirk. If you train it enough then you could use it without hurting anyone," Aizawa elaborated, making his way to the kitchen to fetch a snack. He smiled at Mochi and rubbed her behind the ears before turning to see Amaya, still standing frozen by the entrance.

"_What did he just say? I knew he wanted to train me in my quirk, but I thought it was to contain it not use it! I can't!"_

"_**You sure as hell can. What you can't do though is get rid of me and that's what you're scared of right?"**_

"Aizawa I can't just use my quirk. It doesn't matter if I train it, it's still too dangerous!" Amaya confessed, hugging herself and looking at the floor in shame.

Aizawa came closer and started rubbing her head roughly, tilting her head to look up at him.

"You might be a Hitachi but don't forget you're also Amaya. You are not your parents and your quirk is only as dangerous as you are. Any quirk can be dangerous and used for evil. Stop with this pity fest and let's train so you can give it your all for the sports festival," he encouraged, lightly pulling on her ear as a form of teasing. She softly slapped his hands away and felt a smile creeping up.

"Only if you train me. At least then I'll feel better knowing if I can't get a grip on my quirk you can keep me in check," Amaya negotiated, staring earnestly at Aizawa. Aizawa nodded and moved to the couch with Mochi.

"Okay. But your training starts tomorrow and don't think I'll go easy on you. You better show me all that your quirk can do," he finished, settling down and watching a film.

Amaya slowly acknowledged him, taking her seat beside him and frowning.

"_That's what I'm afraid of."_


	9. Eight

Amaya had been antsy all morning, her ears wouldn't stop twitching and her chewed up lip bled at least three times since she entered the building. First she had woken up in a cold sweat from her nightmare and couldn't fall into a proper sleep after that. She had checked on Aizawa just to make sure he was alright and then proceeded to lay in bed until her alarm went off.

_"I really should tell Aizawa about these night terrors... But maybe after all this crap is over with." _

And by crap she meant the fact that after classes she'd begin her quirk training and that terrified her. She hadn't used her quirk since she was 11 and using it at the USJ only proved she still didn't have a grasp on it. If it weren't for the Nomu, who knows what Amaya's inner beast would have attacked. It's horrifying to know that if her beast becomes pissed enough it will hurt anyone and everyone.

"_**Give me some credit I know not to hurt your precious classmates, and Aizawa doesn't suck so I wouldn't hurt him either." **_

"_Yes, you say that but that's only because you have someone to let your anger out on. At the sports festival you might hurt the students! Plus, you never hold back with the poison and that could kill somebody."_

"_**Ugh who cares? That granny will just kiss them all better. So, what if some of them pass out? My job is to protect me, and I have to protect you to do that. So, I don't give a shit about hurting anyone else." **_

"_And that's why I can't afford to let you out!" _

Growling under her breath Amaya rested her head on her desk feeling crazy again. Why did she have to have an inner beast in her, one that actually spoke to her and made her seem delusional? For once she wished she really was just a cat girl. That seemed so much easier than this annoying quirk.

"Amaya-chan are you alright? You've seemed preoccupied with your thoughts today," Midoriya softly called out, standing near the petite teen who only now realized it was time for lunch.

Surprised, she sat up and started collecting her things, shaking her head.

"I'm fine Midoriya. Just tired. You shouldn't worry about me," she huffed, mind still cloudy, missing Midoriya's concerned gaze.

"Well I hope you get enough rest tonight then. Also, why wouldn't I worry about my friends?" he asked, staring at her with those big green eyes of his.

"_I swear that look should be illegal. He's too adorable sometimes."_

Blushing, she sighed and gave a small grin back to him. "You're right. T-thank you. But I promise I'm okay. I have to go now since I'll be making the person, I have lunch with wait."

Midoriya's face slightly fell and his chest felt heavier than before. Amaya wouldn't have lunch with them. Again. She noticed his sad demeanor and felt guilty that she had rejected his offer once again.

"I'll ask them today about eating with you guys in the future. Until then maybe we could train together? You seem very dedicated and are pretty fit so if it doesn't bother you, we could work out together. Unless you don't want to because I know that with the sports festival everyone kind of wants to do their own thing and—"

Soft chuckling stopped Amaya's rant and searing heat rushed to her face. Looking up slightly, Midoriya was smiling at her and nodding, his eyes sparkling. A tingling sensation ran through her at his smile and Amaya quickly looked away, hoping to stop feeling weird. Amaya bit her lip, embarrassed at her rambling.

"_**You're lucky I can't poison you… Disgusting." **_

"_It's his fault! I got that from him!"_

Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible she quickly bid goodbye and headed towards the doors, walking to the abandoned classroom.

Entering she was relieved to see Shinso in his usual spot. She was glad that he still wanted to have lunch with her even though he declared war on her class yesterday.

"What's with the face? This is where I like to eat, nothing's going to change that," he explained, voice gruff but his face had a small tint of pink on his cheeks. Amaya smiled and sat down in her usual desk, taking out her bento.

"I didn't mean to make a face. I'm just glad to see you here again," she confessed, her face flaming once again.

"_Seriously why am I blushing so much today! What the hell is wrong with me?!" _

"_**Whatever it is its gross. Stop it."**_

"I actually thought you wouldn't show up today after yesterday," Shinso called out, avoiding Amaya's gold eyes. She looked at him for a few seconds before a smile crept up.

"This is where I like to eat. Nothing's going to change that."

Shinso blushed but chuckled at her words. He didn't understand why everyone was so scared of this girl. She was pretty cool under that bored exterior of hers.

"I'm not going to pry because it's none of my business but whatever your quirk is you better not hold back. After a declaration like that I expect you to make it to the finals and win. I know you deserve to be in the hero course," Amaya admitted, giving Shinso a thumbs up and the best encouraging smile she could manage.

Shinso felt shock enter his system. She really wanted him to win? Would she still feel that way if she knew what his quirk was? Watching her take small bites of her lunch he remembered their conversation yesterday. She was scared of her own quirk and was used to people thinking she was a villain even before that. If anyone knew how Shinso felt it was her. Smirking he reached over and flicked her forehead, enjoying the cute scowl that appeared on her face.

"Alright. But you better make it to the finals. It wouldn't be any fun if I couldn't kick your ass too."

Eyes lit with fire; Amaya smirked.

"Deal."

* * *

She was calmly walking to Aizawa's office now that the day was over. Eating with Shinso raised Amaya's mood and she felt lighter the rest of the day. She remembered that she forgot to mention to Shinso about eating with Midoriya once again. However, she thought that was fine since she got to talk with Midoriya afterwards. They even drew up a schedule so that she'd train with Midoriya for strength, Iida for speed and Uraraka for endurance.

Amaya never had friends before. As a child all she had was Kou, and then after the incident she only had herself to rely on. She'd always trained alone, and it felt strange but nice to have friends to actually train with now.

"_**You're an idiot for getting attached. Remember, they don't truly know what your quirk entails. Meaning they don't know about me. Will they really want to be friends with you once they meet me?"**_

"_They'll never meet you so that shouldn't be a problem. If they can get over the fact that I'm a Hitachi and that I kept my quirk hidden, then they won't leave me." _

"_**That's what you think. Don't cry when this all blows up in your face and you're all alone again." **_

Amaya frowned, hating how her inner beast could dampen her mood so quickly. But was it right? Was Amaya getting too attached? She already admitted to loving and caring for Aizawa which was a risk all on its own. Could she really have friends now? Did someone like her even deserve it? Before her mind could enter a dark place, Amaya was slammed into a wall, someone grasping her shoulders tightly.

Instinctively Amaya brought up her hand to claw at the person, annoyed she didn't notice them in the first place, but they sprayed something that made her head feel fuzzy and slowed her actions.

"_What is this?" _

"_**Shit. I think this is catnip." **_

Amaya's body sagged and if it wasn't for the person's bruising grip on her shoulders she'd drop to the floor. Eyes glazing over Amaya felt like giggling. So, she did, mind light and breezy even though her body felt like stone. She was getting drunk off this smell and her head started swaying.

"Listen clearly Hitachi. If you hurt any of our classmates during the sports festival, I will destroy you. I'm smarter than you and if I can incapacitate you now imagine in the arena. I will not let a villain like you tarnish this school's reputation or hurt my fellow students. Understand," Yaoyorozu threatened, her hardened eyes glaring into Amaya's glassy gold ones, her hand pressing into Amaya's shock collar.

Amaya couldn't nod even if she wanted too. Her head lolled from side to side feeling too heavy for her to lift. Quiet giggles escaped her, and she couldn't form words if she tried. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

"_**You know she's pretty fucking dumb if she thinks we can respond in this state. Fucking catnip." **_

"_Hmmmm I wanna sleep."_

Knowing the cat girl couldn't respond, Yaoyorozu threw her to the ground by the collar, satisfied at hearing the small girl's head hit the floor. Hitachi wouldn't hurt anyone. Yaoyorozu would make sure of that. She threw the spray filled with liquid catnip away and escaped before anyone could see her.

Amaya felt like groaning and laughing. She knew her head hit the floor, but she was too drunk on the catnip to react. All she could do was stay on the ground and wait for the fumes to leave her system.

"_I thought smelling catnip would've made me high and act crazy. It only works as a sedative if eaten."_

"_**Bitch must've increased the nepetalactone. Or mixed it with something she knew would make us this drunk mess." **_

"_I wonder how long she's been planning to threaten me like this. She waited until after I finished talking to Midoriya and followed me. She knew now was her best bet to get me because it's after school and almost no kids head in this direction. All the teachers are also either in the office or have gone home. If I hadn't spent so much time talking to Midoriya and his friends, she might have not been able to do this." _

"_**Damn psycho. The hell did we do to her." **_

"_Maybe just being a Hitachi is enough. Most people probably wish they could beat the shit out of me. I'm lucky this was just a threat." _

The next ten minutes were spent with Amaya trying not to feel nauseous and pitiful attempts at standing. Every time she lifted her head, she felt woozy and all her limbs would tremble with the effort. Thankfully her mind started clearing up and she had better control with her body. Slowly getting to her feet she held onto the wall for support. After another few minutes Amaya was positive, she wouldn't collapse and kept walking until she entered Aizawa's office.

Aizawa was thankfully fast asleep in his yellow sleeping bag. He must've napped while waiting for her, increasing her guilt. Usually they walked separately to avoid stares but occasionally they walked together, especially now since the USJ event happened. Amaya knew that Aizawa would have no problems walking home by himself, but she felt better when she was with him. Besides today he had asked her to come to his office because they were supposed to work on her quirk.

"_Damn. I momentarily forgot that's the reason I'm here."_

"Why'd you get here so late kid? I thought you wanted to train," Aizawa's voice rang out, scaring Amaya.

Aizawa was now standing, still in his sleeping bag, and staring at Amaya with a mix of suspicion and concern.

Hand over her heart Amaya avoided his gaze, her head aching and skin burning from where Yaoyorozu gripped her. She couldn't tell Aizawa about that encounter. Sighing she apologized and explained she took too much time making a training schedule with some of her classmates. Aizawa didn't seem fully convinced but let it go and gathered his belongings. She'd tell him if something was really wrong, right now he had to focus on helping her with her quirk.

The two made their way to a gym on the other side of the school, a place Amaya had never been to before. Looking at her surroundings Amaya was glad Aizawa was with her because she'd surely get lost trying to find her way back by herself.

Aizawa instructed Amaya to change in the locker room which she did, emerging with black yoga pants and a white t-shirt once she was finished. She wrapped her arms around herself, not used to exposing her wrists and hating the feeling.

Aizawa noticed and stepped close enough to gently move her hands down. He was decked out in his own training clothes, complete with grey sweats and a black tank top, his scarves around his neck as usual. It would have looked like a normal scene if his body wasn't still wrapped up in bandages.

"Wait I'm not going to fight you when you're still recovering!" Amaya exclaimed, surprised Aizawa would even suggest doing something like that.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. "Look kid, I can take you on no problem, but I know you won't fight back, and I really don't want to hear that old woman badgering me. I changed into something comfortable because I wanted to, actually I brought—"

"Me! Mei Hatsume at your service!" A short girl with salmon pink hair, styled into thick dreadlocks, suddenly appeared chest to chest with Amaya. She stuck her hand out in a form of greeting and Amaya immediately took a step back, uncomfortable with the lack of personal space. Hatsume didn't seem to mind, still smiling and staring at Amaya with crazed wonder.

"I'm from U.A.'s department of support and I think one of my babies is just perfect to help you with your quirk," Hatsume explained, gushing and spouting information on her said 'baby'.

Amaya was having a bit of trouble following because this girl did not seem to understand what space was, rubbing herself on Amaya's arm. If it weren't for her self-control Amaya would have started hissing. Thankfully Aizawa seemed to pick up on her discomfort and moved her near him.

"Right... Hatsume is one of the best in her year and she's agreed for us to use one of her inventions to help train your quirk. It's—"

"It's a simple bot coated with a special liquid I housed right here in the labs, so it won't rust or disintegrate as easily as other bots," Hatsume interrupted, stars in her eyes as she excitedly babbled, taking out a cylindrical metal device from her backpack.

Aizawa sighed, rubbing his bandaged hand over his temples, also seeming to get fed up with this girl's energy.

"Just hit that thing with as much poison as your body can handle. It's going to calculate how fast your miasma works on a non-living material and estimate the potential damage it can do on an average adult male. Once it collects its data then we'll see the results and from there I'll be able to see what we should work on regarding your quirk," Aizawa instructed, taking the device out of Hatsume's hands and placing it on the floor in front of Amaya. The two moved away from the cat-girl, with Hatsume impatiently watching to see her inventions at work.

Amaya glanced at the two wearily. Was she really about to do this?

"_It's okay…. I-I can handle this. You won't be able to take control if I'm only using 50%."_

"_**Hmmm are you sure? It's been a while and last time I came out no problem." **_

"_That was different, we were in a highly stressful situation. This will just be like when Mom and Da—" _

Amaya stood rigid. Her hands began to shake.

"_**What's wrong bitch? Sad thinking about dear old mommy and daddy?**_"

Amaya grit her teeth and stuck her claws into her arms, drawing blood. She needed to get a grip and not think about **them**.

"Kid are you okay?" Aizawa asked, concern spurring out as he watched the small teen bleed. He went to reach out when she stuck her hand out.

"No. I can do this. Just...Just give me a second," Amaya panted, cold sweat forming on her forehead. She looked paler than usual and her skin felt clammy.

"_Get a grip! I can do this. I don't care about __**them**__ and I can control myself. It's my body and my quirk!" _

Not letting her beast get a word in she bit at her tattoo and watched as blood leaked out. Stomach dropping Amaya felt her skin opening and could see her purple mist coming out.

Aizawa watched with interest as the small cat girl's body began transforming. Her pale arms were filled with dark black veins popping out and her eyes were solid white. The air around her changed into something more sinister and purple tendrils surrounded her.

Amaya took a breath, feeling her conscious slip the tiniest bit.

"_No! Only 50%. I can do this."_

"_**But it's so much more fun when I take over." **_

Amaya bit her lip and focused her attention on the device. Concentrating she released her tendrils on it, shooting only half of her poison into it. The device took a few seconds before it began to rust but it didn't disintegrate. It seemed like Hatsume's liquid really was effective.

It only took about 3 minutes before the device beeped and Amaya took her tendrils back, sweat pouring down her forehead.

Hatsume rushed over, clearly not scared of Amaya or her quirk and began looking at her 'baby' with so much joy. Aizawa stepped closer, never taking his eyes off of Amaya and nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Good work kid now transform back so we can check out the results," Aizawa praised, waiting for Amaya to follow his orders.

She froze.

"_Oh no. I'm such an idiot! I can't believe I didn't think of that!" _

"_**Ha. You really are a dumbass. Don't you remember this was always what Ma and Pa made you work on. The reason that stupid seal exits on your wrist in the first place. You can't change back." **_

"Aizawa I-I can't change back. Please take Hatsume and leave!" Amaya ordered, wrapping her arms around herself, her tendrils copying her action.

Aizawa stayed still, watching her. He could easily erase her quirk, but this was part of her training. He needed to see if and how she turned her quirk off.

"I'm right here kid. But I want to see if you can do this by yourself first," he explained, not moving from his spot.

Amaya growled under her breath, the feeling of frustration entering her body. She shook her head, negative emotions would not help her, it only made things worse.

"_Amaya you have to relax and take control! Be the dominant one in this relationship. If not then Yajū will put everyone in danger," an elegant voice instructed, the slender woman stared at Amaya impatiently. _

_Her small figure gave an intimidating aura, long black hair gracefully rested against her back and her piercing red eyes made Amaya feel guilty. _

"_I'm sorry Mama. It's just hard! I can't do it, every time I try and send it back, I think of things that anger me and lose control!" _

_Akane Hitachi stared hard at her seven year old, feeling anger begin to build up and light itself throughout her body. She took a deep breath trying to remain calm so as to not yell at Amaya; that never ended well. Breathe In. Breathe out. Scarlet eyes lit up. _

"_Amaya, darling, look at me." _

_Amaya hesitantly met her mother's gaze, the Yajū still in her and whispering awful things in her mind to try and take control. Amaya hated this kind of training, she wished she could have been training with Papa and Kou right now. Even just practicing her katana technique with uncle Chizome would've been better. Lately her parents had started separating their regimens and now Amaya was forced to work with her mother instead of both her parents. Mama wasn't patient like Papa. _

"_Good. Now focus. Breathe in. Breathe out," Akane commanded, her hard glare watching Amaya's little body twitch with dark miasma surrounding her. _

_Amaya tried to relax her mind. _

_Breath in. _

'_**Like that's going to work.'**_

_Breathe out. _

'_**Still here idiot.'**_

_Amaya clenched her jaw. Breathe in. _

'_**Stupid, I'm never going to let you beat me. Your mommy is scared because not even she can control me. But she also knows you're weak without me.'**_

_Screaming, Amaya couldn't take it anymore and felt rage spread throughout her tiny body. The tentacles exploded from Amaya's body, spiraling out of control and whipping anything and everything. _

_Akane sighed, disappointed. Amaya still had so much more training to do. At once she used her quirk to stop the blood in Amaya's body from reaching her brain._

_Amaya knew she messed up, __**again**__, and felt that familiar dizzying sensation, black dots appearing in her vision. As she felt her legs give away that last thing, she saw was her mother's irritated and disappointed look as she fell onto the matted floor._

Amaya screamed in the present, white eyes filled with tears as she pulled on her dark hair. Her tail wrapped itself around her waist but that did nothing to comfort her, her agonizing yells never stopping. Her tendrils became a whirlwind of poison blocking her from sight.

Aizawa immediately used his quirk, rushing to the petite teen's side as she fell onto shaky knees. Her tendrils were gone but her mind was somewhere else and her screaming continued. Poor Mei backed away; eyes filled with terror.

Aizawa pulled her into a hug, tightening his arms around her even as she hissed and scratched him.

"You're okay kid. I'm here. I'm here," he gently repeated, squeezing her small body into his until her screaming dissipated, breath coming out more evenly.

Exhausted, Amaya fell onto Aizawa's chest, head laying on his shoulder as her eyes struggled to remain open. She disgustingly whispered what was plaguing her mind,

"I tried to warn you. I'm a **monster**."

* * *

Amaya woke up in her own bed, Mochi cuddling her side. She coughed, her lungs aching and head pounding.

The door creaked open and her shoulders tensed, tail bristled until her gold eyes caught Aizawa's disheveled hair. She sat up, body calming down at the sight of her guardian.

"Hey kid. I was just checking up on you, glad to see you awake," he softly muttered, taking a seat at the foot of her bed.

Amaya did not respond, feeling shame and disgust spread inside her chest, goosebumps running across her body as she remembered what happened. She avoided eye contact, gripping the bed sheets in her shaky hands.

Aizawa noticed and started patting her head. Her grip let up a little, but she still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Amaya."

The small teen lifted her head and stared at Aizawa in slight surprise. He usually called her Hitachi, though recently he has been calling her kid, but this was the first time he's ever said her name.

"Amaya. That is your name. So is Hitachi, but don't let that define you."

Amaya slowly nodded, understanding his words but not really believing them. She looked away from Aizawa, lips turned down at his words. Aizawa sighed before continuing, staring at the cat girl with sympathy.

"Look I will never be able to understand what you went through or know how you feel hearing that last name. But I can help you stop letting that overtake your life. Whether or not you hate the name Hitachi it's clear it affects you, focus on Amaya. Amaya means night rain. Let the name Amaya wash away everything else. The Amaya I know is a hero, someone truly good," Aizawa proudly announced, squeezing the girl's shoulder with a small smile decorating his face.

Tears welled up in Amaya's eyes and she brought up her own hand to squeeze Aizawa's in comfort. He was right. She had to stop letting the name Hitachi bring her down. Regardless of her family ties, she was still her own person. Aizawa was one of the first to recognize that but he wasn't the only one. Midoriya, Shinso, even Uraraka and Iida didn't just see Hitachi. It was time for her to start realizing that herself.

She gave him a tiny smile and slowly nodded her head.

"_**Doesn't excuse the fact that your quirk is dangerous. Like me."**_

Amaya's smile dropped; her inner beast was right. She still had no control over her quirk and that made her more monstrous than her last name.

"Aizawa, that doesn't hide the fact that I can't control my quirk. If Hitachi isn't what makes people scared of me, my quirk will be."

Aizawa groaned and flicked her head, satisfied when he heard her small yelp.

"Where's that kid who was desperate to show the world she could be a hero? She wouldn't let something like this stop her. You don't have control over your quirk, so what. You're a first year, it's my job to help you with that. Even if your quirk is more destructive than others it can still be trained," Aizawa poked her head mid-sentence, "you just have to stop being scared."

Amaya rubbed at her forehead, feeling slight irritation but also a tinge of hope. Could she really train her quirk?

"_**Pft. Sure, when pigs fly brat. You know I'll never leave, so will you really ever be able to 'train' me?"**_

Amaya tugged at her ears. Aizawa was silently studying her and she wondered briefly if she should tell him about this demon inside of her. Aizawa obviously cared about her and had shown more than once that he didn't judge her, trusted her even. Maybe it was time for her to trust him too.

"_**You sure you want to expose me? What will you call me? Huh? You know what I am. I'm Yajū, but more importantly I'm the dark version of you."**_

Amaya resisted the urge to flinch, but the voice was right which pissed her off.

"_**Call me by what your mother did. Yajū. Or does that bring up some unwanted memories? Don't think I didn't notice that you stopped calling me that since the incident." **_

Amaya scowled and bit her lip in frustration. Aizawa stared in concern but she quickly shook her head.

"It's nothing Aizawa, just a headache," Amaya lied, feigning a pain by rubbing the back of her head and giving back a fake smile. Aizawa saw right through the smile but frowned at her pain and stood to retrieve some medicine.

"Take it easy kid, we're still going to practice your quirk so why don't you rest, okay?" He stopped by her door in case she wanted anything else, but at the shake of her head he continued on his way to fetch some pills for the pain. Amaya sighed and flopped back onto her bed.

Stupid Yajū. She could say its name, she just chose not to.

"_**Uh huh."**_

Ignoring it, she decided that perhaps now wasn't the time to tell Aizawa. If he didn't know that Yajū existed why bring it up? She would focus on learning how to deactivate her quirk without needing to pass out and that's all. If she only used half her poison, then there'd be no reason to worry about that demon.

With that in mind she let herself rest, ready to tackle these next two weeks.

* * *

The following days were filled with Amaya working her ass off. Her nightmares had thankfully subsided for the moment, but that was perhaps because she was pushing herself so much physically she just passed out when she got home, not giving her brain enough time to panic. Amaya had been used to hard training regimens in the past but after a few years of having to do it alone she toned it down. With no one yelling at her she didn't feel the need to push herself like before. However, she quickly realized she needed to catch up to her classmates. They were fucking crazy.

Amaya did not know what to expect when training with Midoriya. She knew he was passionate but damn, this kid was a beast. She felt as if her arms would fall off at any moment, and while she was grateful for the extra motivation, she dreaded training with him the most. It wasn't because of Midoriya; that cinnamon roll always brightened up her day, but the fact that they worked on her least favorite exercises—anything strength related.

He pushed her to new limits and never made fun of her noodle arms. She'd blush whenever he had to lift her up to reach the pull-up bar, but she knew he only did it to help. She also admitted to herself that seeing Midoriya in sleeveless shirts was definitely a perk.

Iida's exercises were more her style—structured and draining. Her legs ached but in the best way possible after running endless suicides. It was also fun seeing Iida act like a trainer. She got a kick out of seeing him turn red and sputter whenever she called him coach or sir. Amaya had slowly begun loosening up her walls with him and the teasing was just so natural she couldn't resist.

Endurance with Uraraka was by far the weirdest but most memorable workouts Amaya has ever been a part of. Uraraka would levitate Amaya for as long as she could while Amaya held weights. Uraraka's goal was always to push herself to not throw up for as long as possible. These workouts were mostly for Uraraka, but Amaya enjoyed helping her friend, it made her seem normal. It made her feel normal which she cherished, especially when Uraraka would smile so cheerfully and thank her.

After training with her friends Amaya would go and practice her quirk with Aizawa. Aizawa had wanted to teach Amaya more combat skills but after seeing Hatsume's device that showed that at half her power Amaya could kill the average man in exactly two minutes and 42 seconds... Well Aizawa hoped to train Amaya in using her quirk, but those numbers only confirmed to Amaya that her powers were far too dangerous to use on a student. Aizawa thought she could learn to use her miasma to knock out her opponents instead, his goal currently was to get Amaya to stop her quirk all on her own.

Amaya knew that this first obstacle would be nearly impossible to get over, it was too difficult, and the results remained stagnant. Each time Amaya entered that state she focused on keeping Yajū inside, blocking her mind from turning off her quirk. It annoyed her to no end and while Aizawa was very patient she knew he was becoming frustrated with her as well.

The screaming and crying didn't happen anymore, but she still couldn't do it. Aizawa had to use his quirk on her every time. Amaya knew she should tell Aizawa about Yajū but every time she tried her mouth would stop working. She'd always convince herself that she'd rather have him be frustrated with her than become scared of her.

Amaya felt the pressure of the sports festival looming ahead and honestly at this point she couldn't wait to get it over with. Everyone was on edge, hoping to get a good place in the festival to get internships. Amaya knew no one would want to intern her, the daughter of two heinous villains. In fact, she prepared herself for the boos she knew were going to take place. The news was definitely against her being in the sports festival and with virtually nothing to look forward to, Amaya couldn't really feel that excited to participate.

The only reason why she was working so hard was because of the faith Aizawa placed in her and her promise to Shinso. She knew he would make it to the finals and so she had to too, for him. She had even asked him if he would train with her, but he politely denied, saying he preferred to train alone. Still their special lunches together remained, which kept her sane with all the drilling exercises she had to do every day. Shinso helped in his own way, bringing her snacks that would apparently help her build muscle, because he was worried, she'd 'break those twig arms' of hers'.

As the festival crept closer, Yaoyorozu's threat remained present in Amaya's mind. Amaya hoped to use the sports festival as a way to show the world that she wasn't her parents, but that seemed impossible. She just needed to get this over with. She knew that as long as she made it to the finals, she'd be satisfied with whatever place she got.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you all caught up! Happy Father's Day! I hope you all can spend a wonderful day with your paternal figures! Stay safe and enjoy today!**


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Hello, Maka here. Before you read this and/or skip it to read the next chapter please let me say one thing; **Thank you!**

I want to begin by saying that I've had this account for some time now and have been reading fanfiction for much longer, since I was 11 actually. Let's just say that it's been a good amount of time and well I never saw myself having to guts to put my writing out there. I've always had a passion for writing and have written lots of old one-shots and short stories but again I was too insecure to post them. I'm no professional and I have so much to learn as a writer but now having my writing out there allows me to see what I can and should fix. However, it is you, as in the readers, that have been able to help me the most.

I want to thank everyone who has ever read my story. Thank you to anyone who has followed and even favorited my story, seriously y'all are so sweet. And I especially want to thank everyone who has ever left me a review. Whether it be a constructive comment or just words of encouragement, I truly appreciate it all. Without you guys I don't think I'd be trying so hard to actually produce something. I'd also like to thank my editor who is frickin amazing you guys! Seriously, like they correct my grammar and help my sentence structure flow, without them my writing could've given some of you ulcers.

Anyways, I want to give a few shout outs to the people and comments that have particularly struck with me. Sorry if this embarrasses you but you deserve it.

_La cosmix:_ Thank you for being my first reviewer! I'll never forget the feeling of seeing someone say something positive about my writing. This is cheesy but it was very special for me.

_Imya:_ Thank you for being the first person to give me feedback and your kind comments. You also helped answer some questions of mine and I'll always be grateful.

_NickySun5:_ Thank you for helping me with understanding chapter lengths and your positive comments.

_Fairygirl960:_ Thank you for your kind words! Your positivity makes me want to keep writing.

_M:_ Oh my gosh you were giving me so much feedback after every chapter and reading your reactions truly made me smile. Thank you.

Thank you, to all the guests comments! Also to the one guest who wrote:_ J'adore continue ton travail ! J'attends la suite avec impatience, ton personnage est vraiment attachant et je suis impatience de découvrir son pouvoir !_

Well… I don't speak French, just English and Spanish but this was very sweet and so cool. I wish those two years in middle school French would've helped me out but yes, even though I had to use Google Translate, thank you!

Now last but definitely not least.

_Zabijak:_ Yo. You're comment literally put such a big smile on my face and actually made me laugh from joy. I was kinda having a meh week so this comment really helped me. Thank you so much.

Again just thank you everyone for your kind and positive words, they really keep me going. Okay now I'm done. Sorry if this was long but I felt like it was needed.

P.S. my editor doesn't know I wrote this so if the grammar sucks… You see why they are so very important to me.

**NOW ON TO THE STORY!**


	11. Nine

The morning of the sports festival was here. Amaya couldn't decipher how to feel because on one hand she was a bundle of nerves, and on the other hand she was ready to be over with this shit. On the bright side she got a full night's of sleep, but that seemed to be the only positive for her so far.

In terms of her quirk, Aizawa had advised her to not try her it after all, in order to keep the students and herself safe. While compassionate, Amaya knew that he was upset with her lack of progress. Still Amaya would take that any day over having him see her as the monster everyone expected.

"_**We'll see how long you last without me."**_

Amaya ignored Yajū and instead entered the massive school, her black tail rubbing comfortably against her arm in an attempt to soothe her. There were reporters and fans everywhere but thankfully they had cleared a path for the students. That didn't stop the crowd from speaking their thoughts and opinions on the students. Amaya being their favorite target.

"Look, the daughter of Scarlet Doll and Tamer really does attend U.A.!"

"Ew I thought a pest like her would've been rotting in jail alongside her feral parents."

"LEAVE DEMON CHILD!"

"GET AWAY FROM OUR KIDS!"

Amaya winced and turned her ears flat on her head, trying to block out everyone's hateful shouts.

"YOUR PARENTS ARE MURDERERS! MY ELDEST SON DIED AT THE HANDS OF THOSE CRIMINALS!"

Amaya stiffened and looked back at the mother who had shouted that. The small woman's tear-filled gaze showed fury and hurt at Amaya, her arm reaching out towards Amaya in what the cat-girl thought was to probably choke her if the woman could. The school guards kept her away, but Amaya stepped closer.

"I know my words can never repair the damage my family has done, but I am truly sorry for all the pain my parents have caused to everybody on the Bloody Incident," Amaya apologized, bowing low in front of the crowd.

The crowd became silent for only a second before they started shouting once more.

"LIAR! Your parents killed thousands that day, they deserve to die as well! As should you!"

Amaya stepped back, grimacing. She wanted to say so much more but couldn't find the words. She felt frozen, only taking their insults when a hand pulled at her arm roughly, pulling her out of that toxic atmosphere.

She dazedly followed until she entered the school, in which she snapped out of it and realized that out of all the people that could've helped her out, it was Todoroki's hand that pulled her.

He let go of it quickly enough and walked away but her voice stopped him.

"Thanks Todoroki," Amaya quietly mumbled, her head was facing the ground, but he could still see a light blush shining across her pale cheeks.

Todoroki let himself stare for a second before turning around and walking away.

"Only an idiot would let themselves be insulted for so long. You should realize that the public hates your parents and that the Bloody Incident is still pretty fresh in their minds even after four years," Todoroki reprimanded, his voice cold.

Amaya's head snapped up and she scowled, rolling her eyes. Walking briskly to get ahead of him and she shoved him with her small body. She turned to face him and glared into his heterochromia eyes, slapping her hand on his chest.

"Trust me, the public isn't the only one that will never forget that day. I admit that my parents are monsters, but your father isn't so innocent either!" Amaya hissed, golden eyes slitted in anger before she sharply walked forwards.

Todoroki grasped her skinny wrist and pulled her in close to his body, her back crashing into his chest. He ignored her quiet 'oof' and moved his head near her ear to whisper, his eyes bright with determination and anger.

"Don't test my patience. You better shut that little mouth of yours, Hitachi. I don't know what my father did and frankly I don't care. Focus on the festival and don't get in my way because I will be defeating everyone in the arena today. Just watch."

With that he let her go and entered the classroom that all 1-A students had to wait in. Amaya stared after him, her gold eyes wide, heart pounding and cheeks flushed. She bit her lip at his declaration, unsure of how to feel about it. So instead she slowly trailed behind, ignoring what had occurred.

As she stepped onward, she smiled softly remembering Aizawa's words of encouragement that he gave before he left early that morning.

"_Do your best kid. I know you'll do great."_

She would try her best for him and Shinso. Getting to the finals was the only thing she had to focus on today.

* * *

After having changed into her blue gym clothes Amaya waited by herself in the corner of the room.

The room was filled with nervous energy that threatened to suffocate her. Thankfully Iida showed up to warn everyone that the event would be starting soon.

"_**Jesus these kids are annoying. They need to calm the fuck down." **_

"_Be quiet! I'm nervous too!" _

"_**Hah. Sucks to be you." **_

Amaya rolled her eyes not knowing how to even respond to that. Yajū was right, it did suck to be her. She could feel Yaoyorozu's icy glare on her and clenched her fists to try and relax. She took a deep breath when her ears picked up on something interesting.

"Midoriya," Todoroki called, standing right in front of the shorter boy.

Midoriya gasped and quickly faced the dual hair colored boy asking him what was wrong.

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you," Todoroki bluntly stated, catching the attention of the rest of the class.

"_What the hell?! What's happening?" _

"_**Hmmm… look at IcyHot being a dick. An honest dick though."**_

"_Shut up!"_

"Oh…. Y-Yea," Midoriya mumbled, looking downwards.

"_Midoriya you're just as strong as this asshole! Don't look down!" _

Amaya furrowed her brows, not liking this confrontation, readying herself to step in when Todoroki's next words made her pause.

"But All Might has his eyes on you, doesn't he? I'm not trying to pry about that. But I'm going to beat you."

Everyone stayed quiet at Todoroki's declaration, Midoriya shocked, left with his mouth slightly open.

Amaya stilled in her place, staring straight at Todoroki's form in question.

"_He seems more tense than usual. Why is the sports festival stressing him out so much?"_

It didn't take long for some of her classmates to try and lighten the mood by joking about Todoroki's words. Kirishima stepped forward placing his hand on Todoroki's shoulder, hoping to break up the tension between him and Midoriya.

Annoyed, Todoroki shoved the red-head's hand off and coldly reminded everyone, "We're not here to play at being friends. So, it doesn't matter."

Amaya hugged herself at his words. Technically he wasn't wrong, and Amaya herself had thought that way about her classmates for a long time. Honestly, she still thought like that, but Todoroki's words pissed her off.

Her eyes hardened and she dropped her arms, closing her fists tightly. Yes, they were here to be heroes, but Todoroki didn't have to be a jerk to everyone. He had the opportunity to make friends and real life connections, but he was throwing them away like an angsty brat. She hoped for his sake that he got over his attitude fast.

"Todoroki, I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people… Looking at it objectively… But, everyone— The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got! I can't afford to fall behind. I'll be going for it with everything I have too!" Midoriya responded, his stance strong as he stared right into Todoroki's eyes.

Amaya gazed at the green-haired boy; eyes lit in amazement. She smiled and mentally cheered for Midoriya, once again left breathless by him.

"_This guy is something else." _

"_**Stop smiling, it's creepy." **_

Amaya rolled her eyes and crept closer to where Uraraka was sitting. Uraraka saw her and smiled widely and Amaya gave a small grin back.

She looked at Todoroki's retreating form and nodded to herself.

"_If even I can make some friends, so can this guy. I don't think anyone truly wants to be alone."_

"_**Leave him alone, he's got the right idea. You don't need anyone; you don't deserve anyone so don't meddle where you're not wanted." **_

Amaya scowled at Yajū and ignored it for now. Right now, the sports festival is starting.

* * *

Amaya winced at the bright sunlight shining in her face and quickly looked down towards the green grass in an attempt to avoid it. Her ears were flat on her head, trying to get used to the loud shouting of the arena.

"_Again, I must ask… Just how much money does this school have? This is a whole freaking stadium!" _

Trying to calm her rising heartbeat Amaya stepped a bit closer to Midoriya, who she was happy to see was also uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Th-Th-There are so many people…" Midoriya stuttered, his face gaping at the crowds. Amaya stepped in line with him, nodding in agreement. Iida explained how this was just another part of training to be a hero and while Amaya agreed she thought it was a bit excessive.

As Present Mic announced the rest of the classes Amaya turned her head trying to catch a glimpse of Shinso. They hadn't seen each other since yesterday and while she had already wished him luck, she just wanted to see him one last time.

She noticed how her class received lots of praise while the other classes were kind of dismissed and she turned to see if any of her classmates noticed. None of them did but her ears picked up on the other students complaining of the unequal treatment and she agreed. Is this what Shinso had to deal with since the beginning? No wonder he hated her class. Amaya knew that it wasn't necessarily class 1-A's fault for being recognized, it was the staff's, but still. Probably not fun being compared to the hero kids.

Trying not to think too deeply about what this meant she scanned the area one last time. Unfortunately, with all the students amassing together she couldn't find Shinso, but she sent him a mental good luck and faced forward to see Midnight standing before everyone.

While most of the boys, and the men, shamelessly stared at the R-Rated Hero's body she called out for the first years' student representative which was—

"Bakugo? This angry porcupine is the representative? Wow. Who would've thought?" Amaya quietly questioned, not the only one surprised by the announcement as some of her classmates gasped as well.

Bakugo ignored everyone and casually walked up to the stage. Everyone shut up immediately and Bakugo stared at the crowd, almost bored, with his hands in his pockets.

"I pledge…. That I'll be number one."

At once the students started shouting in anger, booing at Bakugo. Amaya kept her neutral gaze on him, internalizing his words.

"_**Damn, Blondie sure is cocky. But that's hot, I can't wait to see him compete."**_

Amaya blushed but kept staring at Bakugo until everything clicked.

"_Wait… I don't think this was just to rile everyone up or him being cocky. What he said right now was basically a goal, a promise even. He's made everyone target him for a reason. He wants to make sure everyone sees him win. Huh… Bakugo really is working hard right now." _

"At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of," Bakugo stated, giving everyone a thumbs down.

"_But he doesn't have to be such a dick." _

"_**Like I said. Hot." **_

Amaya ignored Yajū and her own blushing, instead listening closely to Midnight's instructions. It seemed that the first part of the sports festival would be an obstacle race.

Amaya gulped, feeling a bit nervous as everyone turned towards the large gate. The gate while tall was not going to be able to hold all the kids and immediately Amaya spotted the first 'obstacle' of this race. She was going to have to get through the front without being crushed by everyone.

"_As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do!"_

Smirking Amaya took a deep breath as the lights counted down.

She was ready.

"START!"

* * *

Everyone rushed forward like Amaya predicted, the ones in the middle getting stuck.

She stayed behind for just a little until she saw lots of students trying to shove others to move ahead. Everyone was elbowing each other, and Amaya knew had she rushed like them her small stature would've been bruised by now. Quickly she jumped high into the air and landed on someone's head. Ignoring their protest, she began running, using everyone's head as a step to continue towards the gate. She made sure to keep her steps light but fast so as to not hurt anyone. Though she could tell that she was pissing lots of people off with this idea of her's.

"_Well most of them hate me anyway."_

Reaching the front, she felt a sudden chill and before she could even blink the tunnel was covered in frost. She realized that Todoroki had frozen many of the students to the ground. Those in the back now had more advantages than the front who were stuck to the ground.

"_Damn bastard!"_

"_**A smart bastard." **_

Growling, Amaya kept hopping, reaching the front in no time and grimacing at the ice before her. Thankfully she saw her chance when Bakugo blasted through everyone using his explosions to propel himself forward.

"_He's going to kill me for this." _

"_**But it'll be fun!" **_

Not letting herself chicken out, Amaya threw herself upwards, almost missing Bakugo but thankfully landed right on his back.

"WHAT THE HELL?! GET THE FUCK OF ME MANGY CAT!"

Angered, Bakugo tried to throw his body to the side to get Amaya off but she knew that she was safe because he needed his hands to keep up the explosions. Smirking she latched herself on real tight, making sure her arms and legs wrapped themselves around his back and middle.

"Sorry, but cats aren't good with water or ice."

"UGH!"

Before he could strangle her, Amaya jumped off once she saw no more ice and began running, trying not to laugh at the pissed off Bakugo.

She thanked her feline abilities for being able to swiftly catch up to the front, where she saw Mineta actually reaching Todoroki who was in the lead.

"_Damn, I guess the perv isn't as useless as I thought." _

Only for Mineta to be harshly punched and thrown to the side by a gigantic robot monster.

"_Yea that's about right."_

Sweet Midoriya actually cried out the little grape's name in concern before he along with the other students gazed up at the robots.

"_Shit. This school seriously doesn't mess around." _

While everyone else stared in fear or shock Amaya didn't let herself stop for a moment. She saw as the massive hulk of metal reached its arm towards Todoroki and pounced onto it, surprising him.

She began climbing up when she felt that same damn chill and leapt up high before the ice could touch her. Looking back her golden eyes met cold teal and grey orbs. Todoroki did not look pleased.

Stopping herself from worrying, she jumped off as soon as she felt the robot falling.

"_**Damn IcyHot! Why does he have to be so freaking smart?! Freezing this junk when it was off balance to create a blockade..." **_

Amaya huffed, also peeved by Todoroki's admittedly smart strategy, and rushed after him through the dust cloud.

"It seems as if Todoroki-kun isn't the only one to have cleared the path of Robo Infernos, Amaya Hitachi is on his heels and catching up quick!" Present Mic announced causing the stadium to either hush up or start booing at that statement.

Todoroki looked back and narrowed his eyes when he realized that the small cat-girl was actually behind him. He didn't know if her stunt of pouncing on the robot was genius or reckless but either way it paid off, because now she was in second place and gaining speed. He gritted his teeth in irritation, why couldn't she have just listened and not gotten in his way? He could still hear the crowds booing her and wondered if this was all she heard in the past few years. Immediately he shook his head, why did he care if she got booed or not? He didn't, he needed to focus.

Amaya felt her ears droop the slightest but didn't let the crowd's negative energy slow her down. She prepared for this and considering she was in second place only showed that all her hard work was paying off. Honestly, she didn't care if she got first, but she didn't want to place too low, since she didn't know where the cut off was.

Her thoughts became disrupted by Bakugo's explosions and she looked up to see him blasting himself overhead.

"_**Guess those pieces of junk wouldn't stop this Pomeranian."**_

Amaya ignored Yajū and instead stared ahead at the next obstacle. It was a collection of platforms all connected together by ropes attached together. Amaya noticed the deep drop and silently wondered whether or not U.A. realized just how dangerous this could actually be for the students.

Shrugging, she began running across the rope with ease, her feline abilities coming up to play. Balance and grace were significant attributes for cats specifically, so she didn't worry about falling. She noticed Todoroki had no problems icing the ropes to slide across, still in the lead. And Bakugo took the number two spot, blasting himself in the sky. Amaya sped up just the slightest but wasn't particularly mad at being in third place now.

She wasn't surprised, he did say he was going to be number one. She kind of wished she had that drive, but she could still hear some boos from the crowd which ultimately killed any competitive spirit she had. She just had to get through this and into the finals.

Amaya kept speeding up, hearing her fellow classmates close behind and felt a bit of strain in her calves. Thank god for Iida and his constant suicide training. Todoroki and Bakugo were only slightly ahead but saw them both pause at the last obstacle.

"_Seriously?! A freaking landmine? What is wrong with this school?"_

Amaya only paused briefly before following Todoroki's lead in carefully maneuvering herself around the mines. She heard obnoxious laughter from above and heard Bakugo's loud voice bellowing.

"This doesn't affect me! Bastard! Don't declare war on the wrong person!"

Bakugo then blasted an explosion near Todoroki, taking first place.

"_**Wow. That kid has some drive. Like I said if he wasn't an asshole, he'd be alright."**_

Amaya silently agreed but she frowned at seeing the top two fighting each other. She understood why but still, it seemed more personal than that. Shaking her head, she kept going, creeping up closer to them. They were so distracted by each other that they didn't notice the distance Amaya was slowly closing.

All three stopped at a loud boom that went off, much louder than the other mines that had been set off. The explosion was so massive that its force was actually pushing her forwards and she had to dig her feet in so as to not fall on top of a mine. When the smoke cleared, Amaya smiled widely at what she saw: Midoriya soaring through the sky on top of a piece of scrap metal. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he did, and she began giggling at his intelligent and creative plan, so proud of him. Especially since he took the lead.

"Yes Midoriya! Woooo!" Amaya barked loudly, not caring if she was embarrassing herself. Instead, that stunt inspired her, and she dashed forward with a surge of new energy. Watching as all three boys raced to the finish line, she used Todoroki's ice path to guide her and silently pushed through, managing to catch up right behind him and Bakugo.

Midoriya was falling fast out of the sky and to give himself time to get ahead he moved the metal scrap purposely down onto a mine. Amaya noticed and instantly dashed to the side, watching in amazement as the explosion moved Midoriya forward to surprise the other two, knocking them off their balance momentarily. She kept running and bit her lip hard to keep in her laughter.

Amaya kept going until she heard celebration music and the announcement of Midoriya taking first place. She entered the arena with her long black hair messy and body sweating, almost wheezing trying to catch her breath. Soon enough she noticed Midoriya crying but the bright smile across his face assured her that she didn't need to worry. She looked over and saw Todoroki and Bakugo panting, their adrenaline rushes obviously over, looking angrier than anything. She let out a little pft of laughter, loud enough so that they could hear her and rushed over to Midoriya.

"Midoriya that was awesome! You didn't even use your quirk and still took first place! You really fooled those guys huh?" Amaya giggled breathlessly, pointing her thumb towards where Bakugo and Todoroki were standing.

Midoriya, blushing and wiping his tears, shook his head and responded, "A-Amaya-chan! You shouldn't say things like that because you might anger Todoroki-kun and Kacchan!"

Amaya smirked and lightly punched the kind green-haired boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry so much, they're big boys, they can take it. Focus on the fact that you won!" Amaya cheered, oblivious to the hard stare of one bi-color haired boy.

Todoroki growled low, unsure of who he was most pissed off at; Midoriya, who he should've beaten, or the annoying cat-girl, who was smiling earnestly at Midoriya. He'd never seen her smile, why was she smiling like that at Midoriya? He huffed and walked away to clear his head, irritated with his own thoughts.

"Deku-kun you were amazing!" Uraraka celebrated, coming close to where Midoriya and Amaya were standing.

"First place is amazing! That's so frustrating! Dang it!" she cried out, looking both happy and upset that Midoriya had won.

Of course, the compliments had flustered the adorable Midoriya and Amaya smiled softly at the scene. She gave Uraraka a thumbs up and complimented her for finishing the course at a good rank. Uraraka turned a cute red before she smiled and squeezed Amaya's arm to return the sentiment.

Amaya looked around and noticed Shinso standing by himself, he surprisingly didn't look tired or sweaty like Amaya. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but ran towards him anyways.

"Shinso! How'd you do?" Amaya questioned, standing in front of him, cheeks flushed from the slight jog.

Shinso stared at her stoically for a few seconds before his face cracked and he gave her the tiniest of smiles. He rubbed her head gently, mindful of her ears, shocking the cat-girl and making her blush hard.

"I did just fine, don't worry about me. I'm sorta impressed, you seemed to do fine too," he added, placing his hands in his pockets as he stared at her.

Amaya smiled slightly, ignoring her fast beating heart, wanting to continue the conversation when Midnight's voice rang out.

"The first game of the first-year stage is finally over. Now, take a look at the results!"

Both Amaya and Shinso looked at the digital screen and Amaya smiled at seeing Shinso's placing.

"27 sure isn't bad, and you don't look like you broke a sweat either. You're so lucky, I probably look really gross right now," Amaya complained, grimacing at her sweaty state.

"I can't believe that stupid cat got fourth. She shouldn't have even been allowed to do this," someone muttered from a distance, their disdain clear.

Amaya's ears picked up on this, but she refused to react, only her eyes glazing over slightly.

Shinso heard that stupid comment and saw the pain in the cat-girl's eyes. It angered him but before Shinso could respond Midnight spoke again, "The top 42 made it through to the next round. It's unfortunate but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine. The real competition begins next! Give it your all!"

Incident not forgotten but placed into the back of their heads, Amaya and Shinso looked at each other and nodded. Amaya bit her lip, nervous about the next event.

"Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is but what could it be? What could it be? A cavalry battle!" Midnight cheered, happy with the next game.

Amaya felt her shoulders slump, if she had to work together with people there were going to be major problems.

"Let me explain. The participants can form teams of two to four people, it's basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but one thing that's different is… based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value."

"_**Yea. You're fucked." **_

"_Thanks for reminding me." _

Immediately the students began speaking, explaining exactly Midnight's statement. Midnight snapped at them, upset for taking her momentum and continued on to say how points went up by five, starting from the bottom. Everything seemed reasonable enough until Midnight let out that first place was worth ten million points.

Amaya gasped and whipped her head to look at the pale Midoriya, worried for him. She heard a deep chuckle next to her and looked over to see Shinso smirking darkly at Midoriya. When she turned to stare at Midoriya she saw all of the students glaring hungrily at the poor freckled boy.

"_**Broccoli head is in for some shit." **_

"_That poor cinnamon roll."_

"Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle. The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members points, and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out and try and keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So, the more you steal the harder it'll be to manage them! And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen or if your team falls, you're not out!" Midnight explained, smirking at the students.

Amaya felt her black tail wrap around her arm in comfort. This was bad. This was really bad!

"_Who's going to want to partner up with me? I know Shinso probably would but if he wanted to get a team of four, I doubt others would be okay with me on the team. Ughh this sucks." _

Amaya tuned out the rest of Midnight's voice, too worried about finding other teammates to give her proper attention. At hearing the word "start" Amaya jolted back into reality, feeling her nerves eating at her.

Before she could spiral into a deep panic, she felt a large hand softly pull at her arm. She looked at it, following it to see that it belonged to Shinso who was staring at her patiently.

"Wanna be on my team Ms. Fourth place?" He teased, smiling just a bit.

Amaya worriedly chewed on her bottom lip and tugged on her ears.

"But Shinso… are you sure you want to team up with me? I don't want to ruin your chances of finding a good team because you decided to stick with me. You know almost everyone hates me, right?" Amaya asked concern and self-deprecation clearly in her tone.

Shinso frowned and flicked her forehead, ignoring her hiss of pain. "I don't care. I want you on my team, besides don't worry about anyone else. They won't say anything about you being on my team," he confidently stated.

Amaya flushed lightly at his assertive tone but still looked at him in confusion. He did know who she was right? Right?

Before she could question his sanity, she heard Midoriya calling her name.

"Amaya-chan! Would you please join my team?" Midoriya pleaded, looking very close to crying from the stress of being at the top right now. Amaya pitied him, opening her mouth to comfort him, when Shinso stepped forward, blocking her from Midoriya's view.

"She's already on my team. Look for someone else," Shinso coldly stated, his form rigid. Amaya frowned and tugged at Shinso's sleeve, letting herself be seen.

"That's very sweet Midoriya but Shinso already asked me. But good luck! Besides I know for a fact that if I joined you, I'd only make your team look undesirable," Amaya sighed, smiling bitterly.

Midoriya frowned, forgetting his predicament for a moment and reached out to comfort the petite girl but Shinso had already moved his arm to wrap it around the shorter girl's shoulder and moved her away.

"Idiot. I told you not to worry about that. I got it covered," Shinso reiterated walking with the skinny cat-girl forward and away from Midoriya. Amaya quickly waved goodbye to Midoriya before turning to stare at Shinso questionably, ignoring her blush and the sudden contact with the purple haired boy.

Midoriya clenched his teeth, feeling irritated at how that class 1-C student, Shinso, just moved Amaya away from him. Was he the student Amaya had lunch with? He shook his head, surprised at his irritation and focused on trying to find other teammates. He hoped he could speak to Amaya after this battle was over.

Up ahead, Shinso sighed before dropping his arm and stepping in front of Amaya.

"Alright look. My quirk will allow me to easily convince anyone to join our team okay? Just trust me," he stated, his purple eyes staring earnestly into her golden ones.

Amaya felt her nerves calming down at his look and nodded, still a bit unsure but willing to trust him.

"_**That's gonna be a mistake. You're such an idiot. Haven't you learned that trusting others usually fucks you over?" **_

Amaya grit her teeth and chose to ignore Yajū, instead following after Shinso as he looked for others to join.

"Stay here, I'll get us our team," he explained, giving her a confident smile before heading over to speak to Ojiro. Amaya watched as Ojiro just nodded and began following Shinso after a few shared words. Amaya felt her mouth open in shock, had Shinso actually done it? If he did it had to be his quirk, he did say it allowed him to convince others. So, then what was his quirk?

Amaya didn't have to wait long because Shinso was walking over to her with Ojiro and the flashy wanna-be French student Aoyama. She stared awkwardly at the two but quickly noticed that they seemed kind of out of it, both not saying a word. Concerned Amaya looked at Shinso who had his hands in his pockets, obviously ignoring her stare.

"Umm Shinso are they alright?" she asked, waving her hands between the two boys. After not receiving a response from the statue-like students she turned to him curiously, "What exactly is your quirk?"

Sighing Shinso finally turned and stared into her eyes, looking hesitant and even a bit worried.

"Okay look, my quirk is Brainwashing. If that scares you, you can leave my team," he described, his voice filled with resignation.

Gold eyes widened at the statement, surprised that with such a powerful quirk he didn't manage to get into the hero courses.

"Woah. Shinso that's amazing! Imagine all the conflicts you could end without having to hurt anyone! The possibilities are limitless, how are you not in the hero course?" Amaya bombarded him, her face lighting up at thinking about all his potential.

Shinso looked back at her completely shocked. She didn't see him as a villain? All his life he's been treated as if he was evil and would hurt someone with his quirk when all he wanted was to save those in need. She was looking at him so honestly, her face never showing any disgust or resentment. She even thought he should've been in the hero courses.

Feeling a light blush start he turned his head away and brought his arm up to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"You're not scared I might manipulate you with my quirk?" he asked quietly, slowly closing himself off. Amaya giggled lightly but her eyes held great empathy as she squeezed his shoulder.

"You asked me earlier to trust you, I do. I still do. You're a good person, your quirk doesn't define you," she stood on her tip-toes to flick his forehead. "Didn't you tell me that too? Idiot."

Shinso felt his blush burn brighter and rubbed her head harshly to stop her from staring at him with those cute golden eyes.

Before Amaya could complain she heard his laughter and smiled, glad she was able to comfort him.

"Alright maybe I was being a bit dumb. Anyways I have a plan for us to get lots of points, but it'll involve you being under my control if that's alright?" Shinso asked, looking much more relaxed than before.

Amaya smiled and nodded, "Sure! I'll follow your lead."

Shinso smirked.

"Perfect."

* * *

There were two minutes left on the clock and Shinso felt a light sweat drip down his face. He had no qualms about turning these 1-A dolts into his army, but he didn't want to scare the cat-girl off. She already gave her consent, but his concern wouldn't dissipate even if he acted calm.

Amaya felt more relaxed than she had in a while. The plan was simple, being as she was 90 pounds of skin and bones and her strength was pitiable, she'd be at the top of the pyramid. She'd be under Shinso's control the entire time so really, she didn't have to strategize or plan anything. Her fast reflexes and flexible body would come in handy. She trusted Shinso. She was ready.

Ojiro and Aoyama were in position, faces blank, clearly brainwashed. Shinso heaved a heavy sigh and turned to the petite teen.

"Amaya."

Amaya's eyes widened, her cheeks filling with a rosy red at hearing her name leave Shinso's lips for the first time. He stared at her, patiently waiting for her to respond.

Amaya, feeling like a dumbass, quickly stuttered out, "Y-Yes?"

Gently he touched her wrist and stared at her earnestly, "Are you scared of me?"

"No," she answered resolutely, tone firm.

Shinso smiled softly, "Good."

Instantly the inside of her head felt murky and it was like her subconscious was buried under a pile of blankets, all thoughts muffled.

"You're going to go on top now. Hold on to me tight and don't you dare fall off."

Amaya would've moved regardless but her limbs quickly jumped on top of the other zombified boys' shoulders, her red headband displaying their total of 485 points proudly, tied tight on her forehead. Amaya began to understand just how powerful this quirk really was because she doubted anyone could break through this fog.

The timer rang and Midnight's voice called out, "Now then, it's about time to get started!"

Shinso was in position as the front of the pyramid, Ojiro on Amaya's left and Aoyama on the right.

Present Mic started the countdown,

"3!"

Amaya gripped onto Shinso tightly, mind extremely foggy but her intent was there.

"2!"

Shinso smirked, "Game on."

"1!"

The whip lashed out and the battle began.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update I got my wisdom teeth pulled out yesterday so I'm kinda dead. Anyways thank you for reading and please stay safe!**


	12. Ten

"Times up!"

Amaya felt the fog lift and immediately became disoriented, groaning as her body fell from on top of the pyramid.

Warm, strong arms caught her, gently cradling her small body into their chest. Amaya gripped onto the person tightly, trying to gather her wits quickly.

"You did really well," Shinso complimented, offering her a tiny smile.

Amaya stared at Shinso in bewilderment, her mind too muddled to feel embarrassment at being in Shinso's arms.

"**_Woah… the fuck was that. Never let him do that again, I feel weird." _**

"_I'll admit everything's fuzzy, but I trust Shinso!" _

"**_Gross." _**

"_Just be quiet." _

Everything during the cavalry battle was a haze in Amaya's memories and she weakly nodded in response, ignoring the argument in her head and wondering what exactly went on.

"In third place, Tetsute—Huh? What? It's Team Shinso?!"

"**_Well shit. This insomniac actually did it._**"

Once Amaya's feet touched the ground, she looked at the smirking Shinso questionably. She looked to her other teammates and realized they too had no idea what was going on.

Shinso softly grabbed Amaya by her arm and started walking away from the team with her, grinning mischievously, "Thank you for your hard work."

Amaya stared curiously at her friend, hoping he'd explain what exactly happened during the battle but she didn't need to.

As the two began two walk towards the cafeteria Amaya could make out some voices from the crowd.

"Ugh I can't believe that filthy pest actually made it to the finals."

"I know, I don't understand why U.A. would allow her to even participate in such a competition! Don't they realize that she could kill any of the students whenever she wants?"

"I don't even understand how her group made it to third place, when they were talking to those other students, she probably threatened them."

"You're so right! I mean they were just walking around not bothering to do anything but then at the last minute she spoke to the other group and they just handed over their headband like it was nothing!"

"Makes sense, poor kids, probably scared she'd hurt them."

Amaya's ears dropped and she fought down the desire to bear her fangs. She was upset that they continuously viewed her as a monster, but she was more pissed off that they actually believed she'd threaten these students just to get to the top. She wasn't her parents! She had her own morals!

Growling under her breath she turned to Shinso and quickly bid him goodbye, wanting to find Aizawa as fast as possible. Shinso called out her name in haste but she moved too swiftly for his eyes to keep up. He sighed, feeling slightly guilty about what just occurred. It was his quirk that made them hand over their points but that didn't matter in the public eye. Amaya was always going to be seen as the bad guy even when she did nothing wrong.

He went to get lunch on his own begrudgingly, already missing the cat-girl's presence.

Amaya moved in the direction opposite of the fellow students, grumbling to herself before she saw the faculty and student entrance, hurrying in her steps.

That is until she heard Todoroki's cold voice speak, stopping her in her tracks.

"Midoriya are you…" Todoroki paused midway, "All Might's secret love child or something?" he finished off, the question hanging in the air.

Amaya bit her lip to stop herself from gasping and froze near the entrance. She knew she should've walked away, anything but eavesdrop, but the temptation to have one of her questions answered was too much.

Midoriya didn't answer for a moment before stuttering out that he wasn't, and even with his nervous tone Amaya could feel that he was being honest.

Midoriya kept rambling an explanation when Todoroki cut him off and pointed out that there was still some type of a relationship between the two and this time Midoriya didn't deny it.

"**_So, if he isn't the buff guy's son, what the hell is he to All Might?"_**

"_His protégé? I mean they do have a similar power from what I've gathered." _

"Endeavor's my old man. I'm sure you know that he's been stuck as the number two hero forever," Todoroki announced, voice void of any emotion.

Amaya grit her teeth, her claws sinking into her hands from rage at hearing that bastard's name.

"If you have something from the number one hero, then I… have even more reason to beat you."

Amaya froze.

She knew that everyone had a reason for coming out on top today but why did Todoroki seem so… dark.

"You've heard of quirk marriages, right? That thing that became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own quirk and passing it to your children, forcing people into marriage," Todoroki explained, his tone filled with bitterness.

Amaya's gold eyes widened; she knew of these marriages. It was an old fashioned way of thinking brought by a lack of ethics that thoroughly disgusted her. Her mother and father had wanted her to participate in one but that was before the accident. She never did meet her potential spouse but maybe that was a blessing in disguise.

"My father won over my mother's relatives easily with all the money and power he has and got a hold on her quirk. He is trying to fill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might. It's so annoying… I won't become the tool of scum like that," he continued, utter hate in his words.

Amaya felt her heart clench, not used to Todoroki sounding so vulnerable and wishing to help in some way for the first time. It seems that Endeavour didn't only mess up her life.

"In my memories, my mother is always crying. 'Your left side is so unsightly,' my mother said as she poured boiling water on me."

Tears sprung onto Amaya's eyes and she could no longer listen to the rest of this conversation. She already felt guilty for intruding but this was too personal and not meant for her to hear. She dashed away quickly, hoping they didn't hear her, her heart hammering loudly. She ended up running to the woods and leaning against a tree, gasping to catch her breath.

She could barely hear anything over her harsh panting and thudding heartbeat, but her ears managed to pick up some light shuffling to her left. Standing straight Amaya turned, ready for any kind of surprise attack but was met with a blank-faced Todoroki facing her instead.

"It's rude to listen to others' private conversations," he chastised, slowly making his way over to her.

Amaya blushed in embarrassment and turned her head downwards ashamed at her actions and peeved she got caught.

"I-I know. That was wrong of me and while I know no apology would fix this, I am sorry. I didn't mean—"

Todoroki suddenly grasped her wrists, pushing her against another tree and cutting off her sentence. Without meaning to, a loud gasp of surprise escaped her, and Amaya tried to move but it was futile. Todoroki placed his arms on either side of her head, effectively trapping her.

He leaned his head down due to her short stature and stared directly into her gold eyes.

Her eyes were slightly red and watering.

Was she crying?

Why?

Amaya's heart sped up, her brain stuck between flight or fight mode, anxious about the position that Todoroki put her in. In an attempt to calm herself she let out what she'd been hoping to tell him since she heard his conversation with Midoriya.

Closing her eyes tight, she spoke softly, "You are not your father. From what I've gathered I feel your father is the reason you seem to only rely on your right side?"

Todoroki's hands tightened on her wrists and his eyes narrowed, "That's correct. I don't need his left side to win this festival. I'll become the best without his power. Why didn't you just listen to the whole conversation? If you did, I wouldn't have to clarify this to you."

Amaya fought down the urge to blush again, choosing to scowl, any tears now disappearing. Todoroki really made it hard to sympathize but seeing his face made her remember that she wasn't the only one with scars.

"That's stupid. Like I said you're not your father and that power is yours. You're only limiting yourself when you have all this potential. Not using this power is letting him win from where I'm standing. You're letting whatever he's taught or shown you affect your life when he shouldn't mean shit," Amaya huffed, grumbling slightly at the end.

Todoroki tried not to react, but it was difficult when this petite girl was looking at him so honestly, her gold eyes almost desperate for him to listen to her. He still didn't understand why she cried after listening to his story but he didn't think he could handle knowing the truth. He could feel her slight tremors, yet she stood strong, her gaze never wavering.

Tsking, he softly released her wrists and backed away. Her eyes were beginning to make him feel strange. Todoroki thought he'd be more furious at her for intruding on his conversation with Midoriya but surprisingly he wasn't, in fact he was glad. Seeing her get all flustered was a perk.

Amaya felt the air start to return into her lungs and she clutched onto her chest tightly. For some reason Todoroki always knew how to affect her and she didn't like it.

"I would've thought someone like you would understand. You talk a big game but are you going to use your quirk?" Todoroki asked, but it came out more like a threat, his eyes blazing in aggression.

Amaya grit her teeth and counted to three to stop herself from attacking this stupid boy.

"My reasoning for not using my quirk is completely different from yours. Don't talk like you know me. Because you don't. Do what you want. I don't care anymore," she bit out, anger and grief painfully clear in her voice.

Todoroki scowled, "Just watch me. I will win today, and I'll do it without my left side."

Amaya groaned at that comment.

"_Don't turn around. Don't give in. Don't—"_

"**_FUCK HIM."_**

"You completely ignored what I just said! Whatever, I hope you realize that you're holding back on all of us by doing this though," she seethed, tone getting more impatient by the second. In her anger, she stepped as close to him as possible and grabbed Todoroki by the collar bringing him nose to nose with her.

"If you half-ass with me I'll give you a different reason to be scared of the Hitachi name," Amaya growled lowly.

Todoroki smirked, one arm reaching out to wrap around her waist and the other lightly touching her neck, "It seems like you still care. Though you miscalculated one thing: I'd have to be scared of you in the first place to do that. But nice try kitty."

Amaya felt like screaming at this point, blushing furiously and hissing loudly she shoved at his shoulder and practically ran back towards the arena.

Todoroki took a moment to collect himself and felt a small amount of heat reach his cheeks. He could admit one thing, that those gold eyes of hers were dangerous.

* * *

Damn Todoroki and his weird taunting!

By the time Amaya had entered the arena, Present Mic had announced the conclusion of the lunch break and explained that the final round would be a tournament. It'd be one-on-one battle, so it was anyone's game at this point.

Amaya, trying to distract herself from her previous conversation with that aggravating boy, stood alone staring at her female classmates in confusion at the sudden clothing change. Why were all the girls wearing cheerleading outfits?

She felt a hand tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Shinso's stoic face. Something didn't seem right, so she squinted and realized that Shinso was almost pouting. Or at the very least wasn't happy.

"Shinso? What's wrong?" Amaya questioned, worried for her friend but trying her best to not look away from this rare sight.

Shinso didn't respond for a little bit before he scowled and flicked her nose. Amaya helped quietly and immediately covered the abused area, her eyes watering slightly from the impact.

"What the hell—"

"You didn't eat you dumbass. I get that your cat-like abilities help you out and stuff but if you don't eat, you're going to pass out," Shinso reprimanded, his tone tired and frustrated, body turning away from her.

Amaya frowned, ready to defend herself when something clicked.

"_I left Shinso all alone and missed lunch with him. Is it possible… that he was waiting for me or wanted to eat with me?"_

"**_I don't know or care, I can't believe how you let yourself be flicked like that. What happened to the good ole days when people were scared of you? And the thought of touching you didn't even cross their minds?" _**

Amaya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and focused on the issue at hand. She hesitated slightly before clutching at the back of his shirt, causing him to look back at her in shock. She gave him a small, apologetic smile, letting go of the material and gently bumped his shoulder with hers.

"I'm sorry I missed lunch and that I ditched you before. I didn't mean to, it's just I wanted to clear my head and had to get away from everyone's words so bad that I didn't even think of letting you know," Amaya apologized, her tone a little awkward but sincere.

Shinso huffed and ruffled her hair, mindful of her ears, and nodded. He hid a smile from her, but Amaya could tell that she was forgiven. Which was good because she didn't even notice that it was time for them to pick their opponents for the tournament.

Everyone was buzzing with different kinds of energy, some excited, others nervous. As Midnight walked to the first team, a sudden voice spoke up.

"Um… Excuse me! I'm withdrawing," Ojiro announced, his hand raised high into the air. All the students whipped their heads toward him, gasping, including Amaya.

"Ojiro-kun? Why?" Midoriya asked, staring at Ojiro in concern.

"This is a rare chance for the pros to see you!" Iida tacked on, looking at Ojiro like he was crazy.

Ojiro slowly lowered his hand and continued explaining, "I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until almost the end… I think it was that guy's quirk."

Shinso tensed and turned away, Amaya squeezing his arm in comfort.

"_I didn't realize Shinso didn't tell the others… that wasn't nice. I understand why Ojiro feels cheated." _

"**_Who cares? That guy was on the winning team, he's a whiny brat for complaining." _**

"_I thought you hated Shinso's quirk?" _

"**_I do, but we won, didn't we. This tournament would've allowed Tailman to show what he's got but his stupid morals are stopping him. Pft, little bitch." _**

Amaya sighed and felt eyes on her. Looking around she noticed Midoriya staring at her and Shinso with curiosity and worry.

They all turned to Midnight when she spoke again, approving of Ojiro's withdrawal and calling for a replacement. After some discussion a student named Tetsutetsu became the new finalist.

Once all that was done, Midnight pointed to a screen that contained the brackets of who was competing with who for the first round. Amaya kept her head down, her black tail hugged her waist and while she kept her face blank, she bit her lip from nerves. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and looked towards the screen.

**MOMO YAOYOROZU V. AMAYA HITACHI**

"Shit."

Claws sinking into her hands Amaya let the pain sink in both physically and mentally. Was this a joke? She really had to go against Yaoyorozu? The only classmate who has made it a point to show her hatred towards Amaya. Her life really did suck.

She could feel eyes on the back of her head, and she didn't have to look to know that it was Yaoyorozu glaring at her.

Sighing, Amaya ignored her problems momentarily and looked back at the screen to see the others matches. She felt her heart clench at seeing Midoriya and Shinso having to go against each other. She really liked them both, so she didn't want to root for anyone. She turned to explain that to Shinso, but he had left her without her noticing.

Scanning the crowd, she saw that Midoriya and Shinso were already speaking to each other. Biting her lip, she hoped everything turned out fine.

"All right! Let's leave the tournament aside for a momentary interlude!" Present Mic's voice cheered.

Fireworks filled the sky, and most of the students cheered, ready for the fun part of the festival to begin. As soon as Amaya saw the games begin, she quickly entered the building, finally deciding to feed her stomach while she waited.

* * *

Amaya avoided going to the break room, not wanting to deal with the awkward situation she knew was waiting for her. She never had friends before, but she knew she couldn't do anything but wish the best for the both of them.

Still avoiding her problems, she finished her salad and walked towards the stands where everyone would be watching the fights.

"_Okay let's just go to the break room, wish them good luck and get the hell out of there."_

"**_Ugh I don't understand why you have to do any of that. Who cares? Hopefully somehow, they both lose, and you'll have less opponents." _**

Scowling, Amaya felt a small throbbing begin at the base of her head. Ignoring the stupid demon, she turned the corner and crashed into something very hard. Almost falling she managed to catch herself and blushed at her own blundering.

"Ah, I'm sor—" the words fell off her tongue and she couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the _freaking giant _of a man towering before her.

_Enji Todoroki. Fucking Endeavor. _

Gold eyes slitting, tail bristling, Amaya had to dig her claws into her arm to stop herself from snarling.

Endeavor glared at Amaya's petite form, annoyed that such a small pest crashed into him. However, it only took for her eyes to slit for him to recognize those blasted cat features. She was the splitting image of her mother but with the feline characteristics of her father.

Those enraged blue eyes were forever burned in her memory. No matter how much she wished to forget she couldn't, and she wouldn't ever forget what this man did to her and her family.

_Eight year old Amaya and Kou were holding each other's hand tightly, gold eyes scanning the bustling street with caution. They were doing something bad. They weren't allowed to go out into the public generally and even less without a guard. It's just that their parents were pushing them more than usual with their training, Amaya could see the toll it was taking on Kou. So, like any other attentive big sister she decided they needed a break and hatched a plan to sneak them over to play in the park. Her parents had recently begun coming back home from work all disgruntled, and she'd overhear them sometimes late at night that it was because of the media and from not getting enough publicity, and their anger bled into her and Kou's training_

_Amaya looked towards her twin, his gold eyes sparkling for the first time in a while. Amaya wasn't a fool, she knew Kou always pretended to be fine so as to not worry her, but the bruises on his body and the pain in his eyes gave him away. She promised to make today super fun and take the blame if they were caught. _

_Today her parents were across the city, working in their agency until late. Even if they were to come home early it was an hour away by train, so Amaya knew that she and her sibling had a little time to play. Evading the maids wasn't hard, it helped that their uncle had his own things to do today and couldn't train them either. _

_Clutching Kou's hand, a little tighter she stared at him determinedly and smiled. Kou paused momentarily but at seeing his older sister smile he felt his own creeping up. He stared at her other hand and felt warmth at the fact that she brought his notebook with her. His big sister always knew what he needed. Drawing at the park would definitely put him at ease. _

_The two continued walking when Kou suddenly twitched, Amaya also stopping at sensing another feline near them. Turning slightly, the twins stared at the black cat curiously. It briefly acknowledged them and began walking through some alleyways, a weird interaction since all cats usually came up to them. Even more intrigued the twins looked at each other for a second before mutually deciding to follow the cat._

_Giggling slightly the two walked briskly to catch up to the other feline, feeling like they were going on an adventure. Today was going to be so much fun! _

"Hitachi. I was informed that Nezu allowed you to join U.A. however I had hoped that fool would've come to his senses earlier and locked you up in the prison you belong," he bitterly stated, his tone filled with ice.

That condescending tone forced Amaya to focus on the large man in front of her. Oh, how she prayed to never have to hear this man speak again. It only brought forth unwanted memories back to the surface.

_The cat began running and naturally the twins raced after it, laughing joyfully. Until Amaya noticed that not that far up ahead smoke filled the air. It was a bit hard to hear because of the bustling city; sirens filled the air, but Amaya was sure she was hearing screams, terrified civilian screams. _

_Slowing down, causing Kou to stop as well, the two looked at the scene before them. The park was right in front of them but the buildings near it were burning, horribly fast. Gold eyes trembled in fear, Amaya's gut warned her to run away. Danger. _

_Trusting her gut, she turned towards Kou, but he was looking elsewhere. He was staring at the cat who had stopped a few feet in front of them. _

"_Kou? Look we should head back. It's not safe for us here. Well come back to the park ano—"_

"_The cat," Kou bluntly interrupted. Amaya looked at him funny, what about the cat? _

"_Look the cat probably knows it's dangerous here so why don't we just—"_

_The cat dashed towards the burning building in front of them, with Kou following right after it. _

"_KOU! GET BACK HERE!" Screaming, Amaya ran after her brother, shocked that he would chase after the animal in this situation. _

_Kou knew what he was doing was risky, but he couldn't let anything bad happen to this cat. He wanted to be a hero and heroes save everyone._

_Amaya's eyes watered as she strained to look through the smoke, which made it seem like nighttime despite being early afternoon. There were frantic voices up ahead, the screaming getting louder with each second. It was obvious this was more than just a fire but, in that moment, Amaya didn't think, she just ran. _

_Her fingers barely grazed Kou's jacket when they both heard metal groaning. Both jumped back just in time for a large rectangular metal sign crash right in between them, separating them. Amaya squinted, forcing herself to find Kou through the debris and smoke in the air. Gold met gold, and Amaya felt her heart stop. The black cat was on Kou's side. It ran straight inside the burning building. _

'_No!' _

_Kou hesitated, looked in the direction of the cat then back at Amaya. He gave her a half smile, a smile sweet and apologetic, before turning and running straight into the burning building._

_Amaya screamed and tried pushing at the metal sign in her way, but it was too big, she was too weak. _

Amaya let out a humorous laugh in reply, digging in her claws tighter, feeling the slight blood trail down her arms. The pain was good. It kept her awake in the present, helped block dark memories. It also prevented her from doing something stupid. Like attacking this arrogant bastard.

"I don't know how someone like you can judge me. What my parents did was their mistake, but it all started because of you. You may be a so-called 'hero' in this naïve society, but I know the truth," Amaya seethed, her words barely coming out due to the absolute rage she felt inside her body.

She resisted flinching but staring at Endeavour right now was only making her brain assault her with memories. Memories of her failed efforts.

_Tears openly streamed down Amaya's face and quickly wiped them. Crying was not going to help her right now. The sign was blocking her from moving around or near the building. It was too high for her to jump and fire surrounded her everywhere. _

_She felt so helpless. Her quirk was sealed, and even if it wasn't, in her panicked state she'd be useless if she let herself spread more toxins in the air. Coughing, Amaya ran towards where she heard voices, hoping to find help. _

_Her small body crashed into someone's leg and she fell, clutching Kou's notebook tightly into her chest as she fell. Looking up she saw it was Endeavor. Kou's favorite pro-hero. A pro-hero._

_Gasping Amaya quickly latched onto the big man's wrist. He flicked it in annoyance and glanced down to see a child staring at him wide eyed. Damn kid. Didn't she know how dangerous it was to be here. _

_Amaya stared at her savior for a second before sputtering out her request. _

_Her voice came out hurried and choppy, her gasps of relief and tears causing her to choke up. _

"_Mr. Endeavor! P-please! My brother! He-he—"_

"_Get away from here kid. Don't be stupid and find somewhere safe to go," Endeavor gruffed out. Amaya paused. No! He didn't understand! _

"_N-no Mr. Endeavor! Please! M-my brother! He needs you! He's—"_

_Endeavor stared at the notebook with his face on it and growled. This stupid child didn't understand the gravity of this situation. He needed to get to his agency, not give some kid an autograph. _

_He shoved her away, onto the sidewalk and stared into her eyes, his anger barely contained. _

"_I have more important matters to attend to than dealing with an insolent child," he scolded, his flames flaring slightly. With that he continued on his way to Endeavor agency where a bomb had just gone off. _

_Amaya stood still on the ground, unable to comprehend what just happened. Endeavor, the number two pro-hero, had just blown off her attempts at getting his help. He shoved her, insulted her, and didn't even listen to her pleas? _

_What kind of person does that?_

She looked up and stared right into his eyes as she bit out, "You are a disgusting human being."

Endeavor merely raised his brow, though his flames burned brighter, letting off that that comment did affect him. He shook his head down at the cat-girl in a patronizing way.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less from the child of villains. Blaming your problems on others isn't surprising. I don't need to talk to filth like you, all I need you to know is this: stay away from Shōto," he threatened, his flames becoming almost unbearable for Amaya.

She hissed loudly and tears of frustration filled her eyes. This son of a bitch just got more awful each time she met him. How dare he threaten her! Fucking asshole.

"You are an awful human being and an even worse father! I don't know how people can even stand to look at you! Damn bastard! You're telling me to stay away from Todoroki? You should follow your own advice and just fucking leave. He doesn't need you! Because of your fucked up personality he hates his left side and I don't blame him. I feel sorry for your wife, and anyone who's had the unfortunate luck of meeting you!" Amaya shouted, her chest heaving.

Endeavor's flames reached the ceiling and he stared at the Hitachi girl furiously.

"Insolent brat. Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me in this manner. A brat like you should learn her place…."

Amaya couldn't hear anymore. Instead all she heard was her past self crying loudly, screaming for help. Screaming for someone to save her little brother because she was too weak to do so.

"_KOU! PLEASE! JUST WAIT! I'LL SAVE YOU! I PROMISE!" _

_Amaya's yells kept being interrupted by fits of coughing. Her lungs burned and she knew she needed to get some fresh air. But if she was suffering out here, then Kou…_

_She stared at the fire blocking her entrance. Her brother needed her, so she was going to save him. Charging towards the door, Amaya felt the heat before she even made contact. The pain was scorching but she gritted her teeth and pushed, the door fell through, the flames weakening it. _

_Coughing, she tried screaming for her brother, but her voice sounded cloudy and far away. The fumes were making her dizzy and it was too dark to see. She tried taking a step forward when she felt large arms wrap around her, pulling her out. Her vision was hazy, and her head was pounding too loud for her to focus. Squeezing her eyes tight she clutched onto the arms of whoever held her. _

"_Please. My brother's inside. Help…" she wheezed, body going numb. _

_She heard soft sighing and felt herself being lowered. _

"_Sorry kid. Goes to show you can't rely on anyone. Just yourself. But you tried your best and should be proud," a deep voice murmured. Amaya didn't know if she hallucinated this voice or not, but she knew before she fell unconscious what that sorry meant. She passed out, tears streaming down her face. _

"You killed Kou," she whispered, emotion cracking through her voice.

Endeavor paused in his rant, glaring at the cat-girl in confusion.

Amaya's body shook. Her fists trembled at her side and her hackles rose.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!" Amaya shouted into the empty hall, shocking Endeavor.

"Y-you killed my brother…" Amaya cried; eyes misty as she stared at the floor.

"_Died of carbon monoxide intoxication. The pros found him too late…"_

"_The cat was running towards the building to save his kittens. It seems as though Kou managed to help save them..."_

"_My baby boy! No! No! This isn't real! Amaya! You were supposed to protect your brother, how could you do this!" Akane yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the stiff Amaya. Red eyes filled to the brim with tears of anger and angst. Strong arms reached out and held her, trying to soothe her outrage. _

"_Honey! Stop! Don't blame Amaya! You heard her! Endeavor didn't even bother to listen to her. If he had, our son would still be alive today," Raion muttered, the heart-break in his voice obvious. The couple hugged each other in comfort, crying their eyes out. _

_Amaya watched, numb all around her. She failed. She couldn't save him after all. _

_Even with the kind squeeze her uncle gave her shoulder, it didn't make her feel better in the slightest. Her father came up to her afterwards, hugging her and saying how brave she had been. _

_He was wrong. If she was really brave, she would've busted through the door from the moment she saw Kou run into the building. Her being in this hospital bed alive while her twin wasn't proved her weakness. _

"But I guess… I killed him too," she weakly muttered, tears cascading down her face. Not wanting or needing the bane of her existence seeing her vulnerable, Amaya turned and raced down the hall, disappearing into the bathroom.

Gasping for air she splashed water all over her face, needing to ground herself. She wasn't about to start sobbing in this bathroom, but…

"_Amaya don't you want to say something to your brother? It-it'll be the last time you can…." her father whispered, clutching his fist tightly. Amaya dully stared at her father and then moved her gaze to her mother who had yet to speak to her. _

_Her eyes finally fell on Kou. His black hair spread across the pillow; black ears pressed against his head. Gold eyes shut forever and pale skin that seemed too pale in this moment. There was no smile on his face. That sweet smile that always cheered her up. _

"Kou… I'm so sorry… please… I'm sorry," Amaya cried, clutching onto the sink, her knees buckling. Her cheeks were a rosy color and her eyes were puffing up.

_Amaya grasped his cold hand and sobbed. _

"_I love you Kou. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."_

She sank to the floor and cried her heart out until she heard the results of the first battle.

* * *

Todoroki stood frozen behind the corner. He was heading toward the arena when he heard Hitachi screaming at his father about being an asshole to his family and that he had killed her brother. What did she mean he killed her brother? His father was a pro-hero and as much of a dick as he was, he would never harm a civilian child, right?

Stunned he forced himself to move when his gaze fell on his father silently growling in place.

"You're in my way," Shōto stated coldly, appearing disinterested despite what occurred. It was best to confront the cat-girl about that declaration first before saying anything to his father. And there was also the fact that she defended him and cursed his father out. Hitachi just intrigued him more and more.

"You're acting disgracefully Shōto," Endeavor commented, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms in disappointment.

Shōto ignored him and continued walking.

"If you used the power in your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in the obstacle course and cavalry battle," the number two hero continued. Shōto ignored him and kept walking, just wanting to get away from this man as quickly as possible while still maintaining his calm composure.

"Stop this childish rebellion already. You have a duty to surpass All Might. Do you understand? You're different from your siblings. You are the greatest masterpiece," he praised, though his tone was anything but fatherly. Instead Endeavor sounded like a prideful merchant showing off his collection.

Todoroki gritted his teeth, his anger seeping out of his skin. If this bastard kept talking, he would freeze him in his spot.

"Is that all you have to say you bastard? I will win. And I'll win by using mom's power, not yours," Shōto claimed, aggression clearly expressed.

Endeavor stayed quiet until Shōto reached the hall.

"Stay away from that Hitachi girl. She is beneath the Todoroki name and when the time comes, I expect you to defeat her as well. I know it'll be you to put her behind the bars she most certainly deserves," he added, strutting away.

Shōto whipped around fast and glared at his father. He punched the wall, letting ice spread around it.

Well if he wasn't interested in knowing Hitachi before, he definitely is now.

Though in this moment right here; he had a match to win.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe sorry if you expected more of that battle but I honestly couldn't think of a good way to fight that scene, plus it isn't really relevant to this story. On a separate note, oof this was pretty emotional for me guys. I hope I conveyed this scene well and you guys could feel it. Anyways thank you for reading and reviewing. Stay safe!**


	13. Eleven

Amaya had cleaned herself up after that unexpected but emotional encounter. She scowled at her appearance. The tip of her nose and apples of her cheeks were still a smudge of pink, plus the puffiness of her eyes remained. She looked like she had cried, and that pissed her off.

"**_If anyone were to see you now, they'd probably laugh at how dumb you look." _**

"_Thanks. This is the best I can do right now. I have to congratulate Midoriya on his win and see how Shinso is doing."_

With that thought in place Amaya slapped her cheeks a few times and with her head held high walked towards the stands, hoping to run into one of her friends.

On her walk she noticed Midoriya all by himself and seeing as he would probably be mobbed by the class, she hurried over to him, shocking the poor boy.

"A-Amaya-chan!" Midoriya exclaimed, jumping in place at seeing the small girl run towards him. When she stood before him, he smiled awkwardly before he took notice of her face. Her eyes were red and puffy. He knew all too well what that meant.

"What's wrong Amaya-chan? Are you alright?" Midoriya asked, his voice warm and filled with concern.

Amaya stared at him in surprise and felt her cheeks heat up. Midoriya really was too sweet for his own good. She gave him a half-smile and nodded, worried her voice would give her away. Midoriya didn't look convinced and reached out to squeeze her shoulder, bringing her in just the slightest bit closer. Amaya felt her heart race and she worried about what he was going to say, so she interrupted him before he could open his mouth.

"I heard you won! That's amazing! Congratulations Midoriya!" Amaya cheered, using their close proximity to give him a light punch on the arm.

Midoriya noticed how she quickly changed the subject but let it go, knowing he shouldn't push. His own cheeks became tinted and he laughed shyly, obviously humbled about his win. He reached his arm to scratch behind his neck and spoke embarrassedly. "T-Thank you. It was really luck that I won. Shinso has a strong quirk. I knew what it was but still fell for it."

Amaya nodded, agreeing with Midoriya. She wished she could've seen their match, but it looked like it turned out okay. She just needed to see Shinso. But before she left, she noticed that his right hand had bandaged fingers.

She paused and gently picked up his hand, frowning at his injury. Midoriya began rambling about how he was fine, and that Recovery Girl fixed him up even though Amaya didn't ask. She stared at him with a deadpan gaze before punching his chest, a little harder than usual. Midoriya stopped speaking and stared at her in confusion and shock.

"I know it's your quirk, but I wish you'd find a way to use it without hurting yourself. I get worried seeing one of my friends cause themselves so much pain," she admitted, gently holding his hand, a pout etched on her face.

Midoriya turned red all over and he felt like steam was going to come out his ears. Amaya pouting was too cute for him to handle and the fact that a girl was holding his hand made him want to pass out. Before he could go off on another one-sided rambling conversation, Amaya let go of his hand and walked away from the hall.

"I'll be back. I'm hoping that you won't hurt yourself too much in your next matches, otherwise I'll be worried. And mad. So, try your best not break anything okay?" she told him, not listening for a response, just proud of herself for speaking so casually with him.

During their training period it was mostly filled with exercises and listening to Midoriya go into deep lectures about why they're doing said exercise. It felt nice talking like friends.

She smiled to herself as she walked towards the general students area, proud that her social skills were improving. However, while reminiscing about their training, the sudden image of Midoriya in a sleeveless shirt, showing her how to properly do a pull-up and then holding her waist popped into her head. Amaya grabbed the wall to steady herself and felt a raging blush spread all the way down to her neck. What was wrong with her?! Why did she remember that? She stared at the wall for a good second before slamming her head against it.

"I know I lost but you don't have to be that upset about it," a teasing, yet slightly concerned, Shinso appeared, scaring Amaya. She felt her blush brighten once more, but this time because she acted like an idiot in front of Shinso.

Shinso merely stared at her in amusement, though he did seem the slightest bit worried. Amaya didn't want to give him the chance to interrogate her so instead she asked him how he was. Shinso shrugged and leaned against the wall near her.

"Upset that I lost. But also, not gonna cry about it. And it seems like U.A. students aren't so bad," he admitted, the last part coming out more reluctantly, but Amaya could see the light blush that appeared on his cheek. She raised an eyebrow and stared at him questionably.

"Some of my classmates may have praised me and my quirk… as did some pros," Shinso confessed, tone slightly embarrassed but mostly gleeful.

Amaya smiled widely and squeezed his arm tightly.

"Aw Shinso! I knew you were amazing and now so do others," Amaya praised, looking at Shinso with a bright smile.

Shinso felt a smile of his own slip and rolled his eyes, ruffling the cat-girl's hair. She groaned, sticking her tongue out and complaining about how he was so mean to her for doing that when she was actually being nice to him. He stared at the short girl and let himself relax. Her presence might have scared others, but it calmed him.

Amaya stopped complaining when she saw the serene smile on Shinso's face. She felt a small blush appear and avoided his gaze, confused as to why her chest felt warm.

"**_Ughhhh can you leave now? You should really be watching the fights. Especially since yours's will be up soon."_**

Amaya sighed and agreed with Yajū. As much as she would like to hang out with Shinso, this tournament wasn't over for her.

Shinso recognized a determined glint in Amaya's golden eyes and smiled.

"Well I didn't beat you but that means you can't just let anybody beat you either. You need to win this for me now," he joked, looking at her in faux seriousness. Though he did mean the first part.

Rolling her eyes but smiling, she looked away from him.

"Yea, yea. Alright. But I should view the fights from where my class is. Wish me luck?" Amaya asked, staring at Shinso slightly worried.

He gazed at her one last time, admiring her will power despite her situation. She was strong. And she was good. Amaya would prove to everyone that she deserved to be a hero too.

"Luck? You don't need it. You got this."

* * *

Amaya returned to her stands just in time to see Sero trapped in a huge block of ice. Her eyes bulged out of her head and she stood stuck in her place staring at just ice in front of her.

The arena was silent, everyone in disbelief at what happened. Amaya shivered but it wasn't because of the cold. Amaya knew Todoroki was powerful, but this... This was on a whole other level. And for him to go off so fast into the tournament meant that he wanted to win and fast. He was angry.

Still shaking, Amaya could barely hear Midnight declare Sero immobilized, moving Todoroki into the next round.

She watched as he moved to unfreeze Sero and though his face might've been blank Amaya detected sadness in his eyes. Biting her lip, she contemplated what could've angered him so much. Until she remembered who she met not so long ago.

Hissing, she glared into the stands, hoping Endeavor could feel her hate.

"_Bastard." _

"**_For once we agree on something."_**

Amaya sighed and tried to ignore her anger by looking for a place to sit while the arena was being cleaned up. She noticed Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida sitting in the very front along with the other students.

"_Welp I guess I can't sit with them." _

"**_Why the fuck do you wanna sit with people? Look at blondie, he's chill sitting by himself." _**

Out of the corner of her eye Amaya saw that Yajū was right. Bakugo was sitting a few rows away from everyone else, staring at the arena blankly.

Biting her lip, Amaya knew she should sit by herself, but for some reason a part of her was curious about him sitting alone. She wasn't blind and knew people didn't like his explosive attitude, and neither did she, but he was purposely sitting alone. It bothered her for some reason.

"**_Don't bother him. He might be hot but he's still another wannabe hero."_**

Amaya felt her face flush and scowled. Why was Yajū saying such embarrassing things, like really why wou—

"Take a picture, it'll last longer. Sit the fuck down and stop staring at me extra," Bakugo called out, annoyance clear in his tone but it almost sounded like a tease. That is until he glared at her and abruptly turned his head back towards the arena.

Amaya felt her blush intensify but wasn't about to let Bakugo make fun of her. Taking the plunge, she sat right next to him.

Immediately he scowled, "I didn't mean next to me dumbass."

"Why? Scared I might hurt you?" Amaya bluntly asked him, satisfied watching his eye twitch in anger.

"Nothing scares me, especially not some little cat. Sit wherever ya want. I don't give a shit. Just don't talk," he fumed, peeved that this petite cat had the balls to talk back to him.

"**_Wow. What a fuckin gent this one." _**

Amaya didn't respond and turned back to watch the arena being prepped for the next battle. As things were setting up, she glanced at Bakugo. This was the first time they were ever being truly civil with one another. If you could call ignoring each other civil.

Though it was a bit stiff the overall atmosphere wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. Surprisingly Amaya felt quite calm in Bakugo's presence. Maybe it was because he wasn't yelling like usual. Or maybe because he never once feared her and made that known, which she appreciated.

Amaya felt the stares before she saw them and only had to flick her eyes briefly to catch the rest of class 1-A staring at her and Bakugo in disbelief. The villain and the bombshell sitting together. It was quite the scene and obviously this duo was frightening the class.

Amaya's black ears started dropping down and she wondered if maybe she should've just sat alone. Bakugo didn't have the best personality but he could still make friends, yet her presence was killing that. She stood up and made to leave when a calloused hand roughly pulled her back into her seat. She plopped down with a small "oof" sound and gazed at Bakugo curiously.

"What the hell are you extras looking at? Hah? Fuckin turn around before I make you," Bakugo threatened, his voice terse and pissed as usual.

Immediately everyone turned away except for Midoriya who stared at the pair in confusion. Bakugo growled, hands twitching in anger. Why the hell was that damn nerd ignoring his threat?

Midoriya faced Amaya with a concerned look but she was too busy processing what Bakugo had just said. Midoriya frowned before turning around, annoyed and confused at the sudden ache in his chest. Midoriya was hoping to sit next to Amaya but seeing as he was in the front row, he could only blame himself for why she was sitting near Kacchan right now.

Amaya bit her lip, blinking twice to make sure that it was really Bakugo sitting next to her. He didn't speak to her or turn to look at her, but he defended her… sorta. The question was, why?

"I thought you didn't want me sitting next to you?" Amaya brought up, tugging on her ears, trying to appear nonchalant.

Bakugo rolled his eyes and spoke without looking at her, "I don't. But it pisses me off more that these idiots doubt I could whoop your ass if you actually tried to attack me. Bunch of dumbassess still see you as the threat when they should be fearing me."

Amaya paused for a moment wondering how to take that comment. It warmed her heart that in his own Bakugo way he basically told her he knew she wasn't dangerous. Yet that last comment was a bit worrying. She seriously prayed for his hero morals.

"Thank you," Amaya uttered, shyly looking away from the blonde boy. There was a slight pink to her cheeks, but she blamed it on embarrassment for having to thank this angry porcupine for defending her.

Bakugo analyzed her face for a moment, noticing her timid demeanor, raising a brow. This was the same girl that looked him straight in the eyes the other day showing no fear and actually chastising him? He felt a slight smirk pull at his lips but quickly changed it back to a scowl.

"Whatever pipsqueak. Just shut up and watch the damn games."

Amaya couldn't stop the quiet laugh that escaped. Bakugo certainly was an acquired taste but now that she's seen more of him, he wasn't that bad.

Bakugo felt the slightest amount of heat build on his cheeks, being the only one to hear the cat-girl's muted giggles. This cat just kept surprising him; he wouldn't have ever guessed she could laugh so innocently.

Until he realized she was laughing at him and began yelling at her for being an annoying pest.

* * *

Watching the rest of the fights was quite entertaining for Amaya. She hadn't felt this normal in forever. She felt like she was out of her body and just seeing everything from an outsider's view.

There she was sitting next to an unusually quiet Bakugo who'd only ever grumble something here or there. In front of them was a very cute Midoriya who'd be furiously writing into his notebook, mumbling about everyone's quirk and scaring some of the other classmates. Uraraka would compliment him and watch the games with interest as would the others.

It looked like a perfect little scene to Amaya. No one was glaring at her or insulting her. She even got a kick out of seeing Iida be used as a prop for Hatsume's advertisement. That shit was funny.

However, all good things must come to an end. She felt that piercing glare on the back of her neck, bringing her back into reality.

It was time for her to prepare for her battle with Yaoyorozu. Taking in a calming breath she lightly slapped her cheeks and stood. Guess this was it.

"G-good luck Amaya-chan!" Midoriya cheered, surprising everyone. Amaya blushed, shyly waving back before scurrying out the door.

"Yea, good luck girls!" Uraraka added on, hoping to acknowledge both girls' efforts. Amaya paused briefly and smiled back at her before heading towards the waiting room.

Uraraka and Midoriya frowned towards each other. Even though Amaya smiled, her eyes looked so sad.

* * *

"You may have tricked Midoriya and Uraraka into believing you're not a monster, but you can't fool me. You're a beast. Just like your parents," Yaoyorozu hissed, eyes full of fire.

Amaya ignored her, waiting patiently at the other end of the room for their names to be called. It hurt to be degraded when she truly had no part in her parent's attacks but responding to Yaoyorozu's comment would only instigate a fight and she had to save her energy for their actual match.

The screens above the door lit up green and with a shuddering breath Amaya stepped into the tunnel. It wasn't short nor long but to Amaya it felt like it went on forever. She could hear the people in the arena and felt trepidation in her heart. This was so going to suck.

The light blinded her, and the once cheerful shouts turned into murderous boos and insults throughout the arena. Amaya stood tall, despite the shaking in her knees and bristling of her tail.

She made it to the platform, face blank, and hoped to appear more collected than she actually felt.

"Now, we've got no time to lose! Let's move on to the sixth match! This is gonna be one interesting match. Standing before us is all-purpose creation! She was admitted through recommendations, so her abilities are certified! From the hero course, it's Momo Yaoyorozu!" Present Mic announced, eliciting generous cheers and claps to sound throughout the space.

"Versus… the daughter of infamous Scarlet Doll and Tamer, two of Japan's most radical villains. How U.A. let a specimen such as herself in, only the higher-ups know. This cat-girl is also from the hero course and hopefully ready to prove why she belongs here, Amaya Hitachi!"

Aizawa stared at Present Mic distastefully, before looking back at Amaya, his mouth set in a straight line. She could do this. She **would** show all these pricks that she could be a hero.

The arena was a mix of gasps from the few who hadn't realized Amaya was present, boos from various audience members, and loud curses and shouts of outrage. Among all that chaos Amaya's black ears picked up the sound of cheers and claps from a select few individuals. She should have expected it, but it still surprised her to no end that there were people on her side. Those few friends warmed her heart and she kept her head held up high. She'd try her best to not let them down.

Across from Amaya, Yaoyorozu grimaced, her onyx eyes filled with contempt and Amaya couldn't help but wonder how her parents' mistakes affected Yaoyorozu so much that she projected her anger towards Amaya.

The gun shot rang through the air, surprising Amaya out of her curious state. Any and all game-plan she might've had vanished from her mind, leaving her to rely on her instincts. She dashed across the stage, fists clenched, reaching Yaoyorozu in a flash. Aiming a strong cross to her chest, the taller girl blocked it jumping back, her black eyes cold as she glared at Amaya.

Before she could react, thick white smoke filled the air, leaving Amaya disoriented. Her senses tried to readjust to this sudden blind attack, barely missing a way too close knife to the head. That knife seemed a little too aimed, causing the slightest panic to build inside of Amaya.

"_This is still just a sports festival… right?"_

Yaoyorozu was light on her feet and the smoke had not led up, forcing Amaya to rely on her hearing. Amaya felt a kick and blocked it before it could connect to her stomach, but it seemed that she fell right into Yaoyorozu's trap. Without Amaya realizing, Yaoyorozu had pinned a knife to the tip of her shoe and while Amaya blocked Yaoyorozu's kick she toppled right over.

Using her clumsy fall to her advantage Yaoyorozu quickly pinned Amaya's clothes to the ground, making her escape difficult. Amaya hissed, pissed that she let herself fall but she didn't have time to brood because Yaoyorozu didn't stop there.

This was only the beginning.

Without warning Yaoyorozu stabbed a knife into Amaya's tail, pinning the sensitive appendage to the floor.

Amaya screamed.

Tears built up in her eyes, and she started thrashing violently, so startled by the pain she couldn't think straight. It only made it worse and her screams became louder, scaring many in the audience who couldn't see what was happening due to the thick smoke.

Through blurred tears Amaya stared helplessly as Yaoyorozu produced a long wooden bat from her abdomen, swinging it carelessly. Amaya tried to form words, but the pain was blocking her train of thought.

Yaoyorozu didn't seem bothered in the least by Amaya's pathetic, muffled whimpers. The small cat-girl stopped moving, finally feeling the sharp sting in her tail turn into a dull ache. She looked so tiny, like an insignificant animal cornered. It made Yaoyorozu smirk.

Amaya could only stare, trying to gather her bearings as Yaoyorozu crept closer and _gently_ placed the head of the bat under Amaya's chin, forcing her to look into onyx eyes.

Unhinged. That was the best word to describe the dark emotion swirling in Yaoyorozu's eyes. She didn't look like the elegant vice class representative, or the kind genius Amaya had seen before.

She also didn't look like the protective Yaoyorozu that Amaya had unfortunately gotten to know on a personal level.

Pinned to the ground, waiting for something, anything, Amaya realized the truth. Yaoyorozu had no intentions of winning this battle, no, she had her mind set on **killing** Amaya.

"_Why?"_

It seemed like Yaoyorozu's calm facade finally snapped and with a harsh cry she began assaulting Amaya with hard hits to the stomach. Amaya didn't cry out. She grit her teeth and bore it.

Anybody else would've tried to get away, maybe call for help, hell at least try and block their areas. But Amaya didn't, she left herself vulnerable to the furious Yaoyorozu. Amaya had never heard the pristine Yaoyorozu lose her composure like that, but she recognized the rage in her eyes. It was enough to make Amaya still.

The crowd remained unaware of what was occurring, the smoke that Yaoyorozu created obviously meant to stay up for a while. Not even the teachers could interfere and so the whole arena stayed silent as the sounds of the blunt weapon hit _something. _

Yaoyorozu didn't stop in the slightest, swinging the bat hard, landing a hit against Amaya's head. The impact was a lot more painful than Amaya initially thought and if she hadn't already been pinned, she would've fallen down like a sack of potatoes. The hit jostled her head and there was a painful ringing in her ears, Amaya was surprised that the hit didn't knock her out.

Squinting she stared up at the dark and looming figure of the taller girl. Warm blood dripped down the back of her head, her tail, her mouth, but Amaya didn't react, too concerned with the look in Yaoyorozu's eyes.

"Hurts doesn't it? Good. Feel that pain. My pain. The pain of everyone your family has made suffer, you monster!" Yaoyorozu growled as she hit Amaya once more, but this time she aimed for her tail. Instinctively Amaya tried to roll away, but the knife only jiggled causing her to cry out.

Screeching she felt the sharp blades scratch her body each time she moved but she ignored the pain in favor of ripping the knife out of her tail. Yaoyorozu changed directions and attacked her hands but that didn't deter Amaya; she needed to save her tail. Focusing solely on her tail Amaya ripped the knife out, crying out until the knife clattered onto the floor.

Now that she was free Amaya quickly rolled away, coughing up lots of blood and feeling the familiar pinch of having her ribs cracked.

"**_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? FIGHT BACK YOU IDIOT!" _**

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," she wheezed, trying and failing to stand up.

Yaoyorozu's eyes roared in anger and she screamed as she ran towards the crumpled up form of the small cat-girl.

"Don't you dare apologize. You think a simple sorry will bring Mahiro back? Think a fucking sorry would undo all that evil your parents unleashed?"

Amaya rolled again, just in time to miss the bat hitting her spine and managed to bring herself into a crouching position, blood still spilling everywhere.

"Of course not. I know that. But I apologize that you have to suffer because of my parents' choices and—" Amaya doubled in pain, clutching onto her stomach, but she forced her eyes to look up, and locked eyes with Yaoyorozu, "—I swear on my life to spend the rest of my time helping and saving others," Amaya coughed out, her vision blurring in and out.

Yaoyorozu laughed bitterly, throwing the bat away and instead racing to throw a round kick which Amaya unfortunately could not block. She landed on the floor with a flop and this time tightened her muscles if only to prevent any internal bleeding. Yaoyorozu ruthlessly began kicking.

The smoke had finally evaporated, and anxious eyes gasped at the scene before them. Before they could only hear what was occurring, thud hits, weak coughs and cries of pain. Now that they could see… there was so much blood.

"Amaya!" Midoriya cried out in shock, throwing himself against the railings in urgency. He almost jumped over had it not been for Iida and Uraraka's arms restraining him.

The rest of class 1-A stood up as well, very anxiously staring at the bloody field before them.

Bakugo tried to remain calm but even he couldn't stop his heart from plummeting at the scene before him.

Aizawa froze in his seat, not comprehending the scene before him. His charge was **hurt**.** _Hurt bad_**. Never had he wanted so badly to end a fight, but even so he couldn't move. Too paralyzed by everything around him.

Midnight and Present Mic stared at each other and came to an understanding to end the fight. Hitachi seemed to be barely clinging on to consciousness but yet she maintained fierce eye contact with the creation girl.

Before anything could transpire a broken voice loudly began speaking.

"Four years ago, I lost someone I cherished, a person I had always thought would be with me… a family member. As an 11-year-old I had to hear the screams of Mahiro, my beloved and trusted butler, as wild bears tore his limbs apart. He protected my body with his and sacrificed his life for me. Those bears ate him like he was nothing, and all I could do was cry as I felt his warm blood drip onto me and his heart stop," she briefly stopped kicking Amaya, black eyes glistening with tears as she glared into her gold eyes.

"Those bears weren't the only savages that day. If it weren't for your parents' terrorist attacks Mahiro would still be here!" Yaoyorozu cried, kicking Amaya in the back.

Amaya took it all in stride; the pain, Yaoyorozu's tears, the self-hate. The crowd had stayed deathly quiet, most remembering that horrid day, others too in shock at what had transpired. Some were concerned about a murder possibly taking place and others okay with that happening. The teachers couldn't stop the fight either, too surprised by this turn of events and others lost in their memories.

Memories of Scarlet Doll blood-bending over 1,500 citizens and making them her puppets, forcing them to attack and kill other civilians. Tamer summoning his wild animals to run amok in the bustling city, destroying stores and hurting innocent people. Over 3,000 people died at the hands of Amaya's parents and so many more were affected by this incident. The Bloody Incident.

Amaya felt as if her black collar started tightening, trying to strangle her for all her parents' misdeeds. Amaya deserved it. All this hate, all this pain. Even if she had not committed the crimes, her parents' arrest obviously meant nothing to these people who needed to take their anger out on someone. She would take it. It was the least she could do.

"Don't you dare give up kid! You're a hero for a reason! Not a scapegoat! So, get up and fight!" Aizawa yelled through the speakers, finally breaking out of his stupor, his voice shocking everyone. Amaya's gold eyes widened, and she felt misty tears fill them.

Aizawa. Aizawa believed she didn't deserve it. He saw potential in her, saw her innocence. **He saw her. **

What was she doing? Amaya's only goal was to get in the finals, she was okay with losing her first battle because seriously, who expected her to even make it this far? She thought she would be satisfied with ending it here, but she couldn't. She couldn't let this end here. She pushed herself too hard to let herself fail because that's what the public wanted. What they expected. No. She was going to try and win now. Because the world needed to know her name. **Her name.** They wanted her to lose but that only made her want to win even more now. And she would.

Yaoyorozu's right leg, which was aiming to kick Amaya in the back again, was quickly trapped in the small cat-girl's weak grip. Yaoyorozu stumbled back, obviously startled that the petite girl was still conscious. She fell off balance and that was all Amaya needed.

Using all the energy she had left Amaya quickly jumped on top of Yaoyorozu and wrapped her body around her like a backpack, squeezing the girl in a choke-hold. Eyes wide in surprise, Yaoyorozu fell to the floor face-first while Amaya stayed on her back, keeping a secure hold on her choke. The taller girl struggled, thrashing around but Amaya kept a tight grip, using the remnants of her energy to stay attached.

"You're 100% right. My parents are monsters. But I will never become like them. I may be a Hitachi, but my name is _AMAYA_!"

Screaming, she placed pressure onto Yaoyorozu's carotid artery, effectively knocking the other girl out after a few seconds of struggle. Amaya rolled off the unconscious girl and stared at the sky for a moment. Everywhere hurt and blacking out didn't seem so bad right now. She didn't want to get up, but she had to secure this win. Body trembling, Amaya stood on shaky knees and faced the arena, eyes blazing with fire.

Midnight declared Amaya the winner, and Amaya stared into the stands feeling as if the whole world was watching her. The atmosphere was weird. Some were impressed with the Hitachi girl's declaration, while others were still trying to process what happened. And of course, there were people who still hated her.

Exhaustion and pain finally reached Amaya, with her adrenaline dying out she collapsed on the stage.

Class 1-A stared at the scene before, no one had really seen what transpired between the two girls, but it didn't take a genius to find out. Plus, that ending was more than enough to imagine what actually occurred, looking at the tiny cat-girl's injuries.

While they mourned for Yaoyorozu and understood her pain, they also expressed sympathy for the petite girl passed out and bleeding on stage.

In the following weeks the class had observed the cat-girl up close and while they were still wary of her, they realized that besides being reserved Hitachi wasn't really that big of a threat. Perhaps they were blinded by how the media perceived her, that black shock collar on her neck, or the fact that she was a Hitachi. Either way, now many of the students couldn't help but pity her.

The minute she stepped on stage, they could all hear the harsh treatment she received and saw the nasty looks she got. Hitachi was only 15 and yet she endured all this without ever complaining? She was literally not allowed to sit too close to them and was forced to wear a collar, it was just inhumane. Many students began to feel guilty about their actions, especially after seeing the abuse she took from Yaoyorozu.

Some were still trying to process how she hadn't died or how the fight wasn't stopped.

Midoriya had to restrain himself from jumping to Amaya's side, worried about all the damage she endured. He never expected someone like Yaoyorozu to do something like this, and he still couldn't believe that Amaya just took it. It was clear to see that she let herself be hurt. He felt himself gritting his teeth in an effort to calm himself down, wanting to see her as soon as possible. Uraraka and Iida's touch being the only thing to ground him.

Todoroki stared at the arena in complete disbelief. Had that really just transpired? He knew Hitachi was hated but this! It was like she wasn't even human anymore. He felt himself clenching his fists so tight his knuckles turned white.

Bakugo stared at the scene with what seemed like a blank face, but his enraged eyes and low growls betrayed him. What was that stupid pint-sized cat thinking in taking all that damage? She was reckless and had no regard for her own well-being. She could've died!

Still... he could admit that this idiot had guts.

Shinso had begun emitting dark energy since the beginning of the match, and it grew to the point that his classmates were too scared to be within five feet of him. He couldn't decide how to feel, murderous towards that bitch that hurt Amaya, pissed that Amaya intentionally let herself be hit, or highly worried about the petite teen. Shinso knew Amaya was strong, and she definitely showed that now, but she was so small and skinny that he couldn't help but worry about her breaking apart. He bit his lip and marched towards the nurses office, ready to scold that idiot. And maybe hug her to death too.

From deep in the shadows a group watched the fight that had transpired, intrigued. Amaya Hitachi was something else, and they would definitely have to keep their eyes on her.


	14. Twelve

Squinting at the bright lights, Amaya groggily sat up, her head pounding, tail throbbing. Granted she was feeling much better than before, but the pain hadn't disappeared.

"I wouldn't move too much dearie. I healed all of your physical injuries, but since you still have another battle to go I left you with more stamina so you'll have to endure some aching for a while," Recovery Girl explained from her seat, momentarily surprising Amaya, who believed she was alone.

Recovery Girl felt her heart clench watching the small teen dazedly sit up. Remembering how the bots brought her in troubled her.

She was unconscious and bleeding everywhere. Her stomach was covered in dark bruises and that tail of hers looked practically mangled. These sports festivals were getting way too out of hand.

Amaya weakly nodded and gently laid back down on the bed.

"Oh, before I forget Eraserhead came in here while you were unconscious, I know he wished he could've stayed here for longer but with him being one of the MC's he couldn't. So just make sure you let him know you're okay when you have the chance," Recovery Girl quietly added, her smile gentle.

Amaya felt her heart squeeze at that, she really wanted to see Aizawa and thank him for his kind words. She had to try and find him when she had that chance.

Settling back down, Amaya had time to reflect on her fight. She felt more mentally tired than anything. That battle with Yaoyorozu was not what she was expecting.

But in a weird kind of way, Amaya was glad it happened. It sparked her competitive nature and she was hungry to win. She got everything off her chest and hopefully brought at least a little bit of closure for Yaoyorozu.

"_Considering I beat her though, I doubt it." _

"_**If I could separate myself from you, I'd fucking deck you right now. You stupid girl! How dare you risk your life like that?! What if that bitch killed you? Huh? I swear to—"**_

"How are you feeling Amaya-chan?" Uraraka's sudden voice called out, scaring Amaya who hadn't noticed the sweet girl's presence.

Uraraka scanned the petite girl, checking for any lingering injuries. Satisfied seeing she didn't find any, Amaya relaxed once more in her bed. Uraraka didn't seem to be in too much pain, but her eyes displayed defeat which worried the cat-girl.

Uraraka noticed the concern and quickly laughed it off waving her hands in the air, "I'm fine you don't have to look so worried! I went up against Bakugo and well I obviously lost, but I'm good! I gave it my all and that's all that matters!"

Amaya didn't speak, she could clearly see the forced smile Uraraka was trying to convince her with. She gave a small sincere smile back and nodded, "I don't doubt that you did. And maybe I'm overstepping but it's alright to be upset if you lost. I know how much you wanted to win. I'm sure either way you showed the world how serious you were."

Uraraka's smile turned wobbly and her eyes watered but she didn't shed any tears. She laughed, a little broken and a little proud.

"You're right. Thank you."

Amaya smiled wider even though her head didn't stop pounding, happy to have helped her friend in some way.

"Hey girls I don't mean to interrupt but there are quite a few of your friends just dying to come see you so are you up for some company?" Recovery Girl interrupted, her amusement clearly shining through.

Amaya stared at the small woman in confusion before it clicked. Uraraka was a bubbly and kind girl, of course people were worried. She offered the gravity girl a subtle nod and looked away, her face stoic once more.

It must be nice to have such kind friends like that. Amaya couldn't complain though, she had Uraraka and Midoriya, plus Iida and Shinso.

Amaya felt joy that her bubbly friend would be comforted, though she wasn't looking forward to ignoring Yajū who had not stopped scolding her since she woke up.

The majority of Class 1-A came through the doors, with an annoyed looking Shinso following.

Gold eyes wide, Amaya felt her tail bristle, causing the throbbing to worsen. She winced, not used to her cat features being hurt like this. Trying to appear fine she sat up straighter despite the pain.

The group of classmates suddenly turned toward her bed and Amaya felt a bit of fear spike through. Without meaning to, she reached up and lightly touched her shock collar.

Were they going to curse her out for beating Yaoyorozu? Did she finally fuck up enough and they were going to hurt her? But Shinso was with them so…. Why were they here?

Before she could get a word in, Iida came to stand in front of the group, who Amaya noticed was missing Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu.

Without warning they all bowed their heads and in a loud, clear voice Iida began speaking.

"Class 1-A is very sorry about the unjust treatment that we've all given you! And though words won't be enough we are still sorry and hope to make it up to you!"

Amaya felt a gigantic blush spread and she couldn't keep the shock off her face. She didn't know how to respond but thankfully the others began talking.

"Yea. Your parents might be villains, but it was very unmanly of us to treat you like one too," Kirishima guiltily apologized, his face looking like a kicked puppy.

"Yea. You're just quiet! A little awkward and you look like you hate the world but not scary like I thought you'd be," Ashido bluntly explained, and Amaya couldn't take offense because the pink girl was right.

"You're actually pretty nice. Seen by how worried you get over your classmates and Aizawa-sensei," Asui croaked, making Amaya's blush worsen.

"You got hot legs," Mineta grossly shouted, making Amaya hiss at him. The small purple boy yelped at the noise and turned to run but a painfully tight grip on his shoulder prevented it. Amaya didn't notice but Shinso was bruising the short boy and those who saw nodded in approval.

"Amaya-chan I know it'll take time, but do you think you could forgive us? All of us?" Uraraka quietly asked, smiling gently.

Amaya looked at everyone briefly, completely overwhelmed with everyone's kind words. They weren't scared of her anymore? They thought she was nice?

"_Is this a dream?" _

"_**Ugh they are scared! They just want to make sure you don't hurt them! Don't fall for it!" **_

Amaya internally frowned. Looking at their genuine faces once more enforced Amaya's motives. Even if that was true for some, Amaya believed they were speaking the truth. She needed to have faith and stop being so insecure.

"Thank you," she spoke, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Can I ask you guys to do something for me then?" Amaya continued, looking into everyone's eyes.

The class nodded and leaned in closer to hear her. They were all a bit mesmerized with the cute smile that had shown on the cat-girl's face, unaware she could look like that.

"Please call me Amaya from now on."

* * *

Eventually the class, including Uraraka, had to get out because there were too many people occupying space in the nurse's office. Amaya felt her heart warm at this fact. The fact that this class apologized to **her**, wanted **her** to forgive **them**.

Class 1-A was so different from what she was used to. Not only did they apologize to her, but they even stayed to describe Uraraka's fight and how badass both girls were. Amaya never expected to be treated kindly after the Bloody Incident. She expected the abuse, learned not to fight it, to feel as if she deserved it.

She knew she wasn't suddenly best friends with anyone in the class, but she smiled knowing she could at least breathe easier now. For once school didn't seem so daunting. She settled back into her bed trying to keep the stupid smile off her face, embarrassed to show her emotions so openly.

As the class shuffled out Shinso stuck behind, wanting to speak to Amaya, alone, who needed to rest a bit more before her next match. Watching her classmates leave, Shinso kept quiet, glad Amaya was getting the apology she deserved, but a bit jealous that they all stayed for so long. He wanted to spend some time with her himself.

Feeling some lingering stares on his form Shinso as they walked away, he remembered awkwardly running into class 1-A in the hallways a few moments ago.

While waiting for Recovery Girl to allow visitors, there had been a weird silence that passed between Shinso and the class. Thankfully some guy with glasses and exaggerated hand motions explained that the class wanted to apologize to Amaya, so Shinso decided to let them do their thing. Unfortunately for him he was stuck having to wait with them. However, he quickly learned that class 1-A wasn't so bad, just a little annoying.

But watching Amaya biting her lip to keep from smiling, her gold eyes shining so bright, expression light… he could definitely deal with these annoying kids.

Amaya noticed she wasn't alone, Shinso moved closer and without realizing it Amaya let herself smile.

"Hey. Looks like I won."

Shinso paused for a moment, suddenly slammed with all the emotions he felt watching Amaya fight. He scowled, reaching up and tugging harshly on her black ears, causing Amaya to hiss in pain. Before she could curse him out, she felt strong arms pull her small body into his.

"Sh-Shinso! Wha-what?" Amaya sputtered, extremely flustered, unable to process anything.

"You idiot. How could you let her hurt you so much? Don't ever let anyone do that to you again. You are not a monster, just a dumbass I see," Shinso scolded, his words coarse, but his arms were warm and tight around her.

Amaya continued to blush, hands trembling as she reached up and gripped Shinso's arms, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't respond, too overwhelmed with his warmth, his kindness, this strange **feeling **spreading through her chest. Nodding, she let herself relax in his arms for a second.

How long had it been since someone held her like this? The only one to have done so in the past three years was Aizawa. But she didn't feel like this with Aizawa. Aizawa made her feel safe, it reminded her of how her dad used to hug her.

Shinso… Shinso was making her feel weird. Her heart couldn't stop pounding and she quickly pulled back, scared of this sensation. Shinso let go, surprised at her sudden movement before a blush appeared on his face, shocked by his own actions.

The two teens were a quiet blushing mess and the atmosphere only became more tense but thankfully Recovery Girl popped in to remind Shinso that Amaya needed to rest. He left with a small wave, avoiding her eyes.

As he was about to leave, he stopped for a second.

"This next match… you better not get hurt. Win without any damage. I'll see you later."

Amaya knew Shinso couldn't see her, but she smiled anyways. Forgetting her confusing emotions, she focused on her friend's advice. She would win without almost dying this time. She couldn't worry her friends again.

Besides, she needed to show the world what she was made of.

* * *

Feeling fully recovered, the pain only reaching a minimal bar in Amaya's pain tolerance, the cat-girl walked towards the stands. She knew that Todoroki and Midoriya were battling and wanted to see them in action when she almost crashed into Yaoyorozu.

The two stumbled back, a terse silence enveloping them. Amaya stared at the wall behind Yaoyorozu, not wanting to keep her head down but also too awkward to keep eye contact. What do you say to the girl who almost beat you to death?

"_**I wish this stupid seal didn't exist so I could show this bitch just who exactly she's dealing with!" **_

"_No. I'm trying to be a hero, not a murderer." _

"_**You're just lucky I can't murder you." **_

"I don't know how to feel about this anymore… I can't exactly say that I wish I hadn't hurt you like I did because I'm glad I got my anger out," Yaoyorozu muttered, her voice dull, surprising Amaya from her thoughts.

Amaya slowly nodded, not really knowing how to respond to that. She moved to leave but Yaoyorozu wasn't finished.

"But… I am sorry for projecting my anger out on you. I don't except nor deserve for you to forgive me, but I needed you to know that I was stupid. You're not the one who k-killed Mahiro," Yaoyorozu's voice cracked, tears spilling from her black eyes.

Amaya stared at the taller girl, her heart clenching in sympathy. How she wished she could've stopped her parents that day. Yaoyorozu wasn't the only one her family's hurt; she wished she could do more for her and fellow victims. Amaya expected Yaoyorozu to stop speaking there but she hurriedly wiped at her eyes and kept talking.

"It wasn't your fault and I know that, but I wasn't satisfied with your parents' arrest. My anger and grief consumed me, but I was forced to put a cap on it. When I realized that you had entered U.A., all those negative emotions came out again and the only way for me to stay sane was by focusing all my hate on you," Yaoyorozu admitted, clenching her shirt tightly between white knuckles.

"Fighting you. It was cathartic. Everything began flowing out and I was blinded by rage. I only realized you stopped fighting me until after you actually got me in a choke hold. Passing out I finally realized how dumb I've been," Yaoyorozu sighed, voice heavy.

She looked Amaya in the eyes, guilt prevalent in her onyx gaze. However, resolution was mixed there as well.

"I want to be a hero. And I see now that so do you. So, I formally apologize for my behavior in the arena. That was no way for the vice rep, classmate, hero-in-training… no… human being to fight like that," Yaoyorozu apologized, bowing in front of Amaya.

Amaya's eyes widened in surprise; she would've never imagined for this to occur. First her classmates apologized for treating her like an outcast, now Yaoyorozu is sorry for trying to kill her? Did this sports festival put something in class 1-A's food?

Raising backup Yaoyorozu smiled awkwardly, "I don't expect us to become friends or anything, but I hope you know that from now on if you need anything, I'll try my best to help you as a way of making this up to you."

Amaya raised her eyebrow at this, surprised Yaoyorozu would go that far. She nodded, locking up that bit of information for later.

"I don't think we'll be friends either, but I really am sorry about your loss. For now, let's just try and be regular classmates. That'll be enough for me," Amaya explained as she walked away. She hoped her words didn't seem cold, but it was the truth.

There was too much baggage for Amaya and Yaoyorozu to be friends. Amaya could tell that while Yaoyorozu didn't see her as a threat she was still wary and slightly uncomfortable around the cat-girl. Be it because Amaya was a Hitachi or because Yaoyorozu felt bad about how she acted with Amaya, the fact that Yaoyorozu was trying was enough. They could at least be civil with one another, that's all Amaya really wanted in the first place.

Yaoyorozu nodded and walked away, satisfied with how they patched things up. Before she turned the corner, she called out to the petite girl,

"You better win this next round. It'll make me feel better about losing to you."

Amaya smirked, her fangs peeking out.

"Heh. I plan on it."

* * *

While Amaya and Yaoyorozu had spoken, Todoroki and Midoriya's fight had started, making Amaya rush over to the arena. Thankfully Amaya hadn't missed much, they were only on the introductions, so she took her place standing right behind Bakugo.

The blond porcupine glanced at her, subtly looking for any injuries, finding none. He felt satisfied in knowing the small runt didn't look so bloody and broken as before but felt vague annoyance at himself for caring in the first place.

Amaya turned and gave him a wry smile. "Congrats on your win. I heard you didn't hold back when fighting Uraraka."

Bakugo scowled, pissed that yet another dumbass was going to criticize him for going all out, when that was the fucking point of this. However, he stopped himself from yelling at seeing the grateful smile on the petite girl's pale face.

"I hope Uraraka won't take this the wrong way but I'm really glad you didn't pull back any punches. You gave her a real fight and that's respectable," she smiled brightly, her fangs peeking out.

Bakugo stared at her face for a second before scoffing and turning to watch the fight.

"Whatever, extra. Not like I need your approval."

Amaya sighed and rolled her eyes, there was just no talking normally to Bakugo it seemed. The boys next to Bakugo seemed to agree, complaining to him on how that's not the right way to speak to a girl. Amaya ignored them, deciding on trying to focus on the fight in front of her.

"You better win your next match. I want to have the chance to fight you. Maybe you'll actually put up a fight," Bakugo taunted.

Amaya sat still in her seat wondering if that was an insult or a compliment but seeing as Bakugo stared straight into her eyes she decided it was his way of complimenting her. Challenging her was his way of saying she didn't seem weak. She smirked lightly and nodded, keeping eye contact with him.

The two stared hard at each other, a smirk on each of their faces. The sound of the gun shooting is what shook them out of their trance.

"_**You seem confident now. Is that just because a few snot nosed kids said sorry to you? Don't forget your place."**_

"_No, I'm confident because now I want to win. Will I? We'll see. It's just now I actually have the motivation to try." _

"_**Sure whatever, I didn't mind you and hot-head ogling each other. He's a fine piece of eye candy." **_

Amaya's face heated up and she immediately turned her body to face the arena. Yajū really knew how to press her buttons. She missed Bakugo's own light blush and scowling features.

Thankfully watching Todoroki start the match with a freezing attack was enough to capture her attention. She worried slightly for Midoriya, but he quickly countered with a flick of his finger, breaking apart the ice wave. Amaya and others could feel the cold from all the way up. Amaya was left starstruck, unsure who to admire more; Todoroki and his freezing ice, or Midoriya with his powerful quirk, so strong just a flick of his finger was enough to stop an ice attack.

These class 1-A kids were definitely something else. Amaya really needed to step up her game if she wanted to go against them. Glancing back at Bakugo, she stared at his hands.

"_**Ya know if you used me you wouldn't have to worry about how to beat these kids. I'm all you need." **_

Amaya scowled, upset with the possibility that maybe Yajū was right. She was going against Ashido next but if she did win would she even last five seconds with someone like Todoroki or Bakugo?

"_**No." **_

Amaya shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She didn't need to think about this right now. She needed to watch the match in front of her.

On stage, Todoroki created a shield of ice behind him to prevent him from being blown out of bounds. Amaya hated to admit it but that was smart. She hoped for Midoriya to win but watching him break another finger had her gripping her tail in anxiousness.

Todoroki continued his assault, sending ice wave after wave, forcing Midoriya to keep breaking his fingers as it seemed that was his only plan of defense. Was this cinnamon-roll really going to fight a battle of endurance with Todoroki? Amaya felt her heart clench watching the green-haired boy continue to hurt himself.

Amaya barely heard as Kirishima came up next to Bakugo, claiming loudly how they were going to fight against each other next. She was too focused on trying not to scream at Midoriya for letting himself take all this damage.

"But man, you and Todoroki can both shoot off powerful attacks that cover a lot of ground. Like 'bam'!" Kirishima praised loudly.

"And you can do it with no time lag," Sero added on, half-admiring, half-jealous.

"I'm not just shooting them off. Don't underestimate 'em. If you overuse your muscles, the muscle fibers tear, and if you keep running, you'll run out of breath," Bakugo quietly explained, distracting Amaya from the fight.

She stared at his back, thoughtfully. That's right. Bakugo may be stronger than her but he still had his own limits. There was only so much power he could produce before he had to stop.

"_This might be important for later." _

"Quirks are physical abilities too. They must also have some kind of limit," he finished, red eyes zoned in on the match.

Amaya was lucky in the sense that her cat-abilities were just a part of her. She didn't have to train that side of her as much because it was always a part of her. But her real quirk… That was a different story.

"_**If you used me life would be so much easier. You're just a wimp." **_

Amaya ignored Yajū and watched as Todoroki created a pillar of ice to climb in order to get closer to Midoriya.

Midoriya managed to destroy the ice stairs by breaking his middle finger on his left hand, but it did little to stop Todoroki as he evaded and jumped into the air above his opponent. Todoroki then crashed down and tried to hit Midoriya with a freezing punch, but thankfully the shorter boy moved back in time.

However, it seemed as if Todoroki expected that, so he expanded the ice until it reached Midoriya's fleeting foot. With no other choice left, Midoriya sacrificed his entire left arm to counter with a full powered smash attack.

Amaya could hear his pained screamed and even from high up in the stands she could see where Midoriya had broken his arm. It looked terribly purple, limply hanging down on his side. She clenched her fists tightly trying to calm herself down.

Looking at Todoroki, her keen eyes noticed the slight trembling in his arm. He was reaching his limit, yet he still refused to use his left side. Amaya grit her teeth, annoyed with Todoroki but overall pissed at Endeavor. She hoped he was watching this match and understood just how badly Todoroki disliked his own power. Maybe he'd understand why.

Amaya couldn't keep bashing Endeavor in her head because her acute hearing picked up Todoroki's taunts towards Midoriya. It was a bit difficult to listen in on, but she managed to hear, "Thanks Midoriya. That guy's face is clouded over thanks to you."

Amaya knew 'that guy' was probably Endeavor, most likely fuming at watching his own son publicly reject his power. A malicious smirk appeared on her face without her noticing, how she wished to rub that in Endeavor's stupid face.

"Where are you looking?"

With a forceful punch, Midoriya countered sending Todoroki almost off the platform if he hadn't created a shield of ice just in time to prevent himself from falling out of bounds.

Everyone gasped in shock, Amaya couldn't tear her eyes away from Midoriya for a second. That same determined look Midoriya got whenever he was serious entered. It sent chills throughout Amaya's body; Midoriya could go from looking sweet and nervous to this powerful figure within a moment's notice. It was impossible not to look at him.

"You're trembling Todoroki-kun. Quirks are physical abilities too. There's a limit to how much your body can take isn't there? And isn't that something you could solve by using heat from your left side? Everyone's fighting with everything they've got… To win and get closer to their dream… To become the number one hero…" Midoriya panted glaring at the floor.

He raised his head and stared straight into Todoroki's eyes, his gaze passionate and angry.

"You want to win with just half of your strength? You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know! Come at me with everything you've got!" Midoriya screamed, making a fist, standing up straighter despite his obvious pain.

Tears gathered in Amaya's eyes; she couldn't believe how stupidly kind Midoriya was. There was just no limit to how much he cared about everyone and the honor he held for them. She prayed that his words reached Todoroki because she hated to admit that she was worried about him and his trembling.

Midoriya's words only triggered Todoroki and he ran towards the broken boy, but his movement was much slower than before.

The instant Todoroki lifted his right foot, Midoriya striked his stomach with an enhanced punch that sent Todoroki flying back. Todoroki managed to partially freeze Midoriya's broken arm before getting hit and recovered, trying to freeze Midoriya again, but his ice was too slow. Midoriya could dodge it now. The battle kept going on like this: Midoriya, despite his injuries, continued to sacrifice his fingers in order to keep Todoroki away.

It got so bad that eventually Midoriya was unable to make a fist due to his injuries. Amaya stared at this brutal showdown feeling her anger building up. These idiots were going to get themselves killed!

"Why are you going so far?" A tired Todoroki asks, looking at Midoriya intently.

"Because I want to live up to everyone's expectations… I want to be able to smile… and respond to them… to be a cool hero… That's what I want to be!"

Midoriya headbutted Todoroki in the chest, yelling for him to give it his all. Midoriya admitted he could never relate to what Todoroki had gone through growing up with Endeavor, but he went on to tell Todoroki he didn't deserve to be the best if he wasn't going to use his full power.

As Todoroki fell down Amaya couldn't help herself anymore, and she rushed as close to the stands as she could. Midoriya was hurting himself so much for this idiot to understand, she had to try as well.

"Todoroki you moron! Don't let that asshole control you! It's your power! Now fucking fight with it!"

"It's your power isn't it!" Midoriya screamed, his voice and Amaya's voice overlapping.

Class 1-A gasped and stared at the cat-girl in shock. They never would've imagined her encouraging a classmate like Todoroki, but that only showed how little they knew of her.

Bakugo couldn't help but stare at the small girl. He didn't know she cared so much about that half-n-half bastard.

Todoroki gasped, his eyes going from Midoriya to the stands where he heard Hitachi scream at him. These two… they were so strange.

Strange as they were, their words were enough to snap Todoroki back together.

Todoroki unleashed his flames and the arena became ablaze with intense heat. Amaya had to step back, the heat being too much, but watching was enthralling. His fire was uncontrolled, dancing around; a whirl of chaos with him in the center. Amaya had never seen something look so incredibly free; it was glorious. In that moment, though she would deny it later, Amaya couldn't help but also think Todoroki's smile was beautiful too.

"Shotō! Have you finally accepted yourself? That's it! Good! It all starts from here for you! With my blood, you will surpass me…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP OLD MAN! NO ONE GIVES A DAMN ABOUT YOUR AGENDA!" Amaya screamed, shocking everyone in the stands.

Class 1-A gasped and Iida quickly stood, trying to relax that cat-girl but she wasn't having it.

"YOU'RE AN ANNOYING BASTARD YOU HEAR ME!"

Bakugo felt himself smirk, impressed that such a tiny girl could scream so loud.

From where he was, Aizawa couldn't help but let out a small snicker glad to see Amaya was fine, laughing at the absolute rage that appeared on Endeavor's face.

Shinso looked up smirking from his seat. Amaya really was different from everyone in the hero courses.

Todoroki and Midoriya looked towards their class to see Amaya flailing in the stands, screaming loudly with her tail and ears perked up. Iida seemed to be holding her by her waist to prevent her from falling even as she continued thrashing.

Midoriya was glad Amaya seemed fine but he couldn't believe she could insult a pro-hero so easily like that. He worried she'd fall from that height with how much she was trying to escape Iida's grasp.

Todoroki let a small smile filter on his face at the scene. Hitachi sure knew how to rile up his dad.

"Thank you Endeavor for those… encouraging words?" Present Mic questioned, allowing everyone to focus back on the fight.

Ignoring his father, Todoroki focused on Midoriya, thinking about how crazy this guy was with how he was smiling. Smiling himself he let his full power out and a magnificent mirage of ice and fire blasted out from him, aimed towards Midoriya.

Midoriya got into his stance ready to defend and jumped.

There was a loud booming noise, and so much force came out of the arena that no one could see anything. If it wasn't for Iida's strong grip, Amaya would've been blown away. She covered her ears and furrowed into Iida's neck, trying to shield herself from the impact. Poor Iida blushed heavily at this kind of contact but turned his body away trying to protect the small girl as much as he could.

When the dust settled, Iida let Amaya go and everyone saw Midoriya's knocked out body, laying down out of bounds.

"Todoroki-kun advances to the third round!" Midnight announced, sounding professional despite her disheveled appearance.

Amaya's eyes zoned in on Midoriya's still form and she felt her heart constrict. She desperately wanted to go see him right now, but she knew he needed his injuries to be tended too first.

She turned her gaze to a half shirtless Todoroki; he was panting but his form seemed strong. This guy was just too powerful sometimes, it seemed unfair.

Like he could feel her staring, Todoroki turned and stared into Amaya's gold eyes. Amaya wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not, but it seemed like he was actually smiling at her. She felt her face heat up and turned the other way.

What was up with her today? So many strange emotions were filling her chest.

* * *

Thankfully it seemed as though she wasn't the only one concerned for Midoriya as Uraraka quickly grasped her hand and practically dragged her to go see Midoriya with some other classmates.

They all forcibly barged into the small room and Amaya felt weird being a part of a group like this. It was a good weird but definitely weird.

As everyone screamed Midoriya's name, Amaya was pulled into the front since Uraraka had yet to let go of her hand.

"_**Ugh why isn't anyone scared of you anymore? Since when was it okay to touch you so much!"**_

Amaya ignored Yajū's strange complaining and focused on the skinny older man standing next to Midoriya. Uraraka politely greeted him which he awkwardly returned but Amaya couldn't help but feel as if she recognized him from somewhere.

"You're all so noisy," Recovery Girl sighed, but she hadn't made any moves to kick anyone out, yet.

"Everyone… what about the next match?" Midoriya weakly asked, barely keeping his eyes open.

Amaya moved closer to the green haired boy, her eyes never leaving his as she gently brushed his hair out of his face. She then lightly flicked his head, tsking at him.

"You and that other idiot created so much damage they have to take some time to rebuild the stage," Amaya scolded, her eyes a mix of proud and angry.

Midoriya lightly blushed, not knowing how to respond, only understanding he worried Amaya a lot.

"That match earlier was scary Midoriya…" Mineta interrupted, his small form shaking at remembering the match.

"What kind of pro's gonna want that?" Mineta continued and if Amaya wasn't so close to Midoriya she would've bared her fangs at him. Luckily Asui had a similar thought, scolding the small pervert.

"Be quiet everyone! I know you're all worried, but I've got to do some surgery now.

The others nervously reiterated the word surgery, but Amaya merely frowned, staring at Midoriya's guilty form. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Amaya didn't want him to feel like this before his surgery, so she gave him a small smile.

"Hey just focus on recovering right now. You can get chewed out by me later," she offered, poking his cheek.

Midoriya simply nodded, returning his own smile, making Amaya feel much better about leaving. As they were all kicked out, Amaya didn't forget the fact that that skinny blond man was allowed to stay.

Just who was he?

U.A. was certainly quick and they had fixed the stage in no time. With Iida winning his own match Amaya walked back into the locker room, readying herself for this next fight.

Amaya took a deep breath, calming her nerves before her match. She was up against Ashido and from what Amaya remembered, the pink-skinned girl was quite formidable in hand-to-hand combat. Amaya also had to watch for any acid tricks.

"_**You know you wouldn't have to worry about your weak body if you only used me?"**_

"_We are not having this argument again. I am not going to use you." _

"_**Boring. Have fun trying to win then." **_

"_I already have won without you, remember?" _

"_**Whatever." **_

The light turned green and Amaya knew it was time to fight.

She walked through the tunnels and when she entered the stage the crowd's reaction was much different from before. Instead of the loud insults from last time there were a lot of quiet murmurs throughout the stands. Amaya was sure that it still wasn't a good energy running through the crowd, but she preferred that to their insults.

Ashido stood on the other side and smiled widely at Amaya.

"Good luck Amaya! You'll need it!" Ashido playfully shouted, shocking everyone aside from class 1-A and Shinso that someone could tease a Hitachi like that.

Amaya smirked in return, "We'll see who needs it soon."

The gun shot rang through the air and the match started.

Both girls ran towards each other, Ashido had her hands poised together, forming huge wads of acid. Ashido was fast, but Amaya was faster.

Using her small body to her advantage Amaya dived through Ashido's open stance, surprising the girl.

Ashido quickly turned around but Amaya had predicted that and used her furry black tail to wrap itself around Ashido's wrists forcefully pulling the girl's arms up. Ashido tried to kick Amaya away but swiftly the cat-girl blocked it and jumped onto Ashido's back.

Much like her previous match, Amaya got Ashido into a choke hold and in no time knocked the pink-skinned girl out. Once the girl fell limp in Amaya's arms, she gently placed Ashido on the floor.

The match ended and Amaya was declared the winner. The hushed whispers never went away but Amaya focused on her classmates cheers, and that made her smile.

Walking away from the arena she noticed her name now placed to go against Bakugo and she felt panic enter her body. All of her previous confidence vanished at realizing just who she was about to fight came in mind. This battle seemed like nothing now that she knew she was going against Bakugo, who was physically stronger and faster than Amaya. She really had to think outside of the box to win against him.

"_**Or you know. You could. FUCKING USE ME YOU DUMB FUCK!"**_

Amaya winced at Yajū's shouting, ignoring it for now. She didn't want to use her quirk, but without it….

How was she supposed to win against someone who had no trouble making everyone his enemy from the start? This explosive Pomeranian was dead set on winning.

This next match wasn't only going to be a battle of strengths but a battle of mindsets as well.

Amaya only hoped to make Aizawa proud, she was going to try her best to beat Bakugo!

* * *

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY I AM LATE AGAIN! I won't lie I procrastinated a little and then writer's block hit me hard. But I'm back and you can all thank my wonderful editor because I sent them this today and they had it edited for me by 12 so I'm just in tears. Thank you for last week's reviews yall make me so happy. I just want to clarify that this is a BNHA x OC. So Amaya's going to have a lot of moments with these guys. Specifically Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, Shinso and maybe someone else. She might have some moments with other characters but since this is my first story I don't want to stretch myself out too much so for now a max of 5 is good. Also about the fanart. **

**First of all: AH! **

**Second: *insert puppy dog eyes* **

**You guys are awesome and while I cannot draw for the life of me I am lucky enough to have artistic friends and so something might come out in the future. So once again ****sorry about the late update! ****Thank you for reading and please review because I love hearing from you guys! Stay Safe :)**


	15. Thirteen

Amaya's name was in the semi-finals, it seemed unreal. After Iida and Todoroki's fight, she'd be up against Bakugo. She paced in her little corner trying to calm herself down.

"Um are you alright A-Amaya-chan?" Midoriya's soft voice called out.

Amaya immediately stopped and turned, surprised to see the green-haired boy up and about. Without thinking she rushed over to him, making him squeak in place.

"Are you alright? Shouldn't you be resting right now? How's your arm? Do you need help right now?" Amaya bombarded Midoriya with questions, making the poor boy's head spin.

"N-no I'm okay! Really! I want to watch everyone's match! I was just worried about you because you were pacing in place," he explained turning towards her and staring delicately into her gold eyes. Amaya felt herself blush at his concerned gaze and moved her eyes to his chest.

"I'm just a little anxious. I'm going against Bakugo and well he's… Bakugo," Amaya poorly explained but Midoriya immediately understood.

"Yea Kacchan's really strong. N-not that you're not strong either! I'm just— I-I know what you mean…" Midoriya mumbled his eyes looking anywhere but Amaya's.

Amaya stared at his fumbling self for a moment before letting a small giggle escape. She tried to stop it by clamping her hand over her mouth but that did little to muffle the noise. Her giggles turned to right-out laughter and she grabbed onto her stomach unable to keep herself standing upright.

Midoriya stood still staring at Amaya in shock. Her laugh was so pretty. He was mostly sure he never heard Amaya laugh like this. She looked so cute, laughing carefree, he hoped to see her like this more. Without noticing a gentle smile appeared on his own face, his green eyes softening.

"Sorry Midoriya. It's just, you're so funny and sweet. It looks like you're okay. I'm glad. Thank you for this. I needed to get my nerves out," she thanked him, smiling lightly.

Midoriya nodded dumbly, still in awe at seeing Amaya laugh. Amaya felt her cheeks warming as she turned to walk towards the waiting room.

"A-Anyways wish me luck I guess!"

Midoriya shook himself out of his stupor and nodded.

"Good luck Amaya-chan! I know you can do this!" Midoriya yelled out his encouragement, smiling brightly.

Amaya nodded as she walked indoors.

Sitting right in front of her was Bakugo, staring boredly in front of him. At hearing her enter, he turned, smirking when he saw her.

"Guess the pipsqueak didn't run away like I thought she would," Bakugo haughtily remarked, any sort of friendly competitiveness that might've occurred between the two disappeared, now that they actually had to fight.

Amaya kept her face blank, merely raising a brow at the tease.

"I could say the same to you. I would've thought having to fight a Hitachi would be too scary for you," she tutted, staring at him as if he were a child, not letting his words get to her.

Bakugo growled, standing up before she could blink, his large body towering over her. He slammed his hand mere inches away from her face, into the door beside her. He moved his head down to stare at her short stature and gripped her shock collar tightly, bringing her even closer to him.

Amaya gasped, choking slightly from the pressure and grabbed his wrists, using her claws to dig into his skin a little as a warning.

Bakugo merely grunted, gritting his teeth, "Runts like you should know their place. You better still act like this even when the fight begins. Don't you dare hold out either. I'm expecting to see that little quirk of yours come to life," he threatened, his voice a low growl.

Amaya tried to remain calm but hearing him express his desire for her to show her quirk caused fear to shine clearly through her trembling gold eyes.

No.

"_**Yes." **_

She couldn't fight with that. She was trying to be a hero and if she let Yajū out, any progress she made would shatter.

She shook her head, trying to keep her voice strong despite its cracks, "N-no. My quirk is not something to parade around. It's too dangerous to use, especially for something as silly as a sports festival."

Bakugo's red eyes darkened, his nostrils flared, he tightened his grip on her collar and brought her nose to nose with him. Amaya could feel the heat come off his hands, as if he was ready to let a small explosive go off if necessary.

"Don't underestimate my own quirk, extra! I don't care how dangerous you think your quirk is, I'll still beat you," he snarled, glaring at Amaya.

He let her go and walked away without looking back. Once Amaya knew she was alone she slumped down to the ground, too mentally exhausted to pick herself back up.

Why the hell did Bakugo want her to use Yajū? Couldn't just fighting her be enough?

"_**He's not an idiot you know. He knows that you're weak and can't beat him on your own. Seriously kid, you know it too." **_

"_Hey! I'm not that bad! I held my own with Todoroki, I can take a beating and my reflexes and agility aren't something to be taken lightly!"_

"_**You only held your own with Todoroki because that was a damn exercise, he didn't use both sides and you had your katanas dumbass. You're a fucking weakling without me." **_

"_I don't need you." _

"_**Yes. You. Do. And hothead might not know what I can do, but he obviously knows that if you go in and fight him how you are now it'll be an easy fight for him, and he'll hate that."**_

Amaya gripped at her hair tightly, a scream was crawling its way up and she so badly wanted to let it out.

It didn't matter. Maybe she was too weak to fight Bakugo just like this. Maybe he would sweep the floor with her, but she couldn't risk hurting him. Or scaring everyone.

"_**You're such a dumbass. You wanna be a hero so damn bad but you can't even give someone a fair fight."**_

"_Fair? How the hell would using you be fair?!"_

Yajū surprisingly didn't respond to that. Amaya felt alone for once, with only her own thoughts.

She gritted her teeth, annoyed and angry at Yajū for ignoring her. At Bakugo for bringing her quirk up. At herself for being so damn weak.

* * *

As Amaya slowly treaded down the tunnel, the usual cheers and loudness from the crowd seemed to dissipate. Bakugo was already waiting on stage, his usual scowl there but Amaya could see the boiling anger in his eyes from where she stood.

Taking a deep breath, she marched forward trying to pump herself up.

Fighting Bakugo was going to be hard but not impossible. She might not be faster than him, but she was still fast, plus she could deal with inhaling his smoke. Smoke burning her lungs wasn't something new to her.

He was definitely stronger than her though, so she had to be wary of his hands picking her up. She was pretty confident she could handle his punches, but she still wanted to avoid a beating if possible. Her slightly throbbing tail warned her of that. Amaya had to try and attack him first if she wanted to have any grounds on winning this fight. She looked up at the sky and hoped that at the very least she didn't make a fool of herself.

"_**You won't if you let me out and play. C'mon! It's even consensual this time!"**_

Amaya ignored Yajū and walked with her head held up high, face blank, gold eyes determined. Standing on the other side, she held eye contact with Bakugo, shaking her head.

Even from a few feet away she could hear him snarling and forced herself to remain calm. He was very pissed now. She knew he was never going to go easy on her considering what Uraraka told her, but she wouldn't be surprised if he tried to break one of her body parts.

"Trying to show the world her name, she's won her two matches with that wicked choke of hers'. Can she dig her claws into this next opponent? From the hero course, Amaya Hitachi!"

The crowd stayed mostly quiet, a few boos here and there but most didn't react. However, Amaya could clearly hear class 1-A cheering and felt her cheeks heat up.

"He's explosive and powerful, never holding back on any opponents, from the hero course, Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic announced and for once Amaya felt slightly bad for Bakugo.

The crowd wasn't nearly as encouraging as they were for the other students, Amaya obviously excluded, and Amaya swore she heard some light boos. Bakugo didn't seem affected nor did he look like he cared but Amaya still felt bad for him.

He was abrasive in every sense of the word, but he was also hard working and determined to be the best; that much was clear. While Amaya could understand it was hard to watch some of his fights, as pro-heroes these pricks should've been used to it. It only went to show how good Bakugo was as a fighter.

"_And I'm going to fight him now… Fuck." _

"_**Fuck indeed." **_

The gunshot fired, scaring Amaya into sprinting like her life depended on it, which it kind of did.

Bakugo moved into a defensive stance, hands raised ready to fire off explosives.

Amaya felt the pain before it hit, but she bore it. Explosives set off near her face, instantly filling her lungs with thick black smoke, searing heat stinging her cheeks. There was an agonizingly loud ringing in her ears that she forgot to account for. Amaya forced down pained whimpers, jumping back, barely restraining the coughs that desperately tried to escape.

Having put some distance between him, she raced across the stage again, this time swooping down low. Not that it did much to stop the next explosive hitting her face but at least the sound didn't leave her wanting to cry and she inhaled less smoke.

A curtain of black smoke covered the stage, surrounding Bakugo, limiting his vision. Bakugo growled, understanding her plan. She was trying to do what Uraraka did. If Round Face couldn't distract him, neither would this bitch.

Amaya kept lunging, forcing Bakugo to set off more and more explosions. The smoke had thickened considerably, yet the crowd could still see Amaya covered in scratches and burn marks, patches all over her uniform.

Bakugo was done waiting around, he wasn't going to give this runt the chance to attack. He raced towards the direction of her heavy breathing, saw her pale wrist, and reached for it.

Amaya's ears heard light stepping near her and turned to see Bakugo's large hand aiming towards her, but he caught her before she could move back. He had a death grip on her small wrist, his hand hot and most definitely leaving a mark.

Amaya tried to ignore the pain, showing a brave face even as Bakugo literally picked her up from only her wrist, forcing her to meet his angry burgundy eyes.

"_Maybe I should listen to Shinso and eat more…" _

"_**Not the time stupid." **_

"Are you fucking messing with me? What kind of half-assed plan is this? Use your quirk dammit!" Bakugo yelled, snarling into Amaya's ears, making her turn her head away.

"No! I can't! I'll hurt you!" Amaya cried back, begging Bakugo with her eyes to try and understand her fear.

Bakugo did not like that answer. In a fit of rage, he flipped the petite girl over his shoulder slamming her into the hard concrete. The air left Amaya's lungs and she desperately tried to catch her breath, wheezing as she tried to crawl away.

Bakugo didn't let her go far, catching her skinny ankle and dragging her back to him, straddling her waist, pinning her arms to the ground.

"Either you start using your quirk and treat me like an opponent or get blasted and lose this match like a lil bitch," he growled, keeping his body hovering over hers.

The smoke had cleared away and Amaya felt everyone's eyes on them. She hated the vulnerable position Bakugo just placed on her.

"'_Treat me like an opponent'? What the hell does he think I'm doing right now?!"_

"_**You dumbass. He's saying he knows you're stronger than this, which you're not, but I am. I would've thought you'd catch on by now. This hothead wants to be a hero more than anyone, so he wants to beat you at your strongest. No wonder he's offended right now, he should've blasted you already." **_

They were both panting heavily, Amaya stared into Bakugo's fired up eyes, recognizing the frustration in them.

Fine.

He wanted to fight her at full power. He would.

"Don't you dare regret this."

With accurate aim Amaya kneed Bakugo in the groin, the other not expecting this at all. He grunted and fell to the side, unable to shake off the pain.

Amaya rolled away and speedily stood to kick him, but even while wounded Bakugo managed to block it.

"Tsk. You win," Amaya sighed, already feeling guilty about what she was about to do.

Scratching at her tattoo, she looked away as she felt warm blood drip from her wrist. Her body shuddered, and a tingling sensation ran through her.

Familiar smoky tendrils surrounded Amaya, creating a wall of protection and her eyes coated over white, veins blackening.

The crowd gasped in shock, most never having seen Amaya's true quirk before.

"What is that! What's happening?"

"I knew letting a demon child like her in to U.A. was a bad idea!"

"GET AWAY FROM THE STUDENTS!"

The crowd was in uproar and from the back of her mind Amaya flinched, but all the people saw was a proud smirk.

"Class 1-A's Hitachi seems to have been holding back on us! What's this quirk she's exhibiting? Seems dangerous folks, good thing her opponent likes a good fight!" Present Mic yelled out, though there was a hint of caution in his voice.

The crowd didn't care, only screaming out to stop the fight and to arrest Amaya.

"Would you all shut up? As pros you should all already understand that any quirk can be dangerous. Just because Hitachi has a powerful quirk means nothing. All that matters is how she uses it," Aizawa bit out, voice grating, silencing the shouts.

Aizawa stayed quiet after that, wanting to lash out at the crowd more but he worried about Amaya. They had agreed for her to **not **use her quirk. He didn't understand why she was using it and if things went south, he could stop her if needed. However, she deliberately used her quirk, so he decided to trust her right now.

Shinso stared at the cat-girl in mild shock. The cute little Amaya he knew was gone and in her place was this fierce, dangerous woman. She looked so different, but it wasn't bad. In fact, he felt pride at watching her unleash her quirk. She was strong and it was about time the public saw that, their opinion be damned.

Midoriya heard Uraraka and Iida gasp beside him, then having heard about Amaya's quirk but never seeing it live. She seemed to have slightly better control over it than last time and if she was using it now that had to mean she was serious. He whipped out his notebook subconsciously and began adding the tendrils to his design of Amaya. Although he was concerned, he couldn't deny his new found excitement to watch her fight.

Todoroki felt his eyes widened as he stared at the dark form of Amaya. He didn't think she'd show her quirk. He knew she had one but didn't realize it required for her to transform. She seemed powerful and even from where he was standing, he could sense her bloodlust. It was as domineering as it was attractive. Though he couldn't explain or even understand why he felt anger at the fact that she was using her quirk with Bakugo. For some reason it just left a bad taste in his mouth.

"About damn time. Heya hot stuff. Wanna play with me?"

Bakugo stood still, forcing a blush down and stared at Hitachi. He took in her transformation, her words and tried to analyze her quirk. This wasn't the little pipsqueak from before, there was a new confidence in her. She seemed more dangerous than before too, the air already felt different; this Hitachi wasn't trying to just win.

She was taking this seriously; she was taking **him** seriously.

Good.

Smirking he got into his defensive stance.

"Show me what you got extra."

**Amaya** smirked and stood back, her tendrils shot out of her body at inhumane speeds, creating a circle around the two. Miasma stronger than before, probably pent up, began to fill the air.

Bakugo had barely been able to glimpse at her quirk before, so he didn't realize just how strong it was. He paused for a moment watching the petite girl staring at him expectantly, **smirking. **

"Heh. Not bad extra, but that's not enough to stop me!" Bakugo cried out, his adrenaline pumping him up.

He dashed over, fists raised but a tendril managed to brush his wrist and he felt a burning sensation. Jumping back, he looked at the pink, raw burn marks in surprise. He stared at the runt curiously. So, these black wispy shits not only poisoned the air but could actually cause some damage as well. Not bad… for her.

Amaya stared at the scene before her from the back of her consciousness in terror, looking at Bakugo's bleeding wrist made the little lunch she had before rise up.

No. Not again.

"_No! I didn't want to hurt him! Dammit why did I listen to that stubborn ass! What the hell is wrong with me? It's just a stupid sports festival I didn't have to go this far!"_

"_**Would you shut up and just look at his face?"**_

Amaya squinted and stared up to see Bakugo absolutely gleaming. He had a predatory smile, but his eyes looked so much lighter than she had ever seen them. Amaya would even go as far to say that he had a childlike happiness to him. It was actually really cute.

"_He's happy?"_

"_**Hell yea, he is! This dude has some kind of inferiority complex going on I think, that's why he always wants to be the best. And you letting me take over shows him that you believe he's worth going against." **_

Amaya stayed quiet and put herself in autopilot voluntarily for once. Did Bakugo really think of himself as inferior like Yajū theorized? But he was so strong and powerful… it didn't make sense.

But watching how he was acting now and looking back at his behavior it wasn't such a bad hypothesis. Bakugo hated going easy on people because he never wanted to be played with either.

Especially in this world where having a good quirk makes you seem like a god and heroes are treated as such. Amaya couldn't blame Bakugo for how he felt.

Alright. She didn't want to disrespect him, so she'll let Yajū fight. She didn't worry about percentages or care about how much poison she was letting out. This time she wasn't going to hold back.

"_But don't hurt him! I'm serious, if I don't like what I see I'm going to try and take over again!"_

"_**Whatever, shut your trap will ya? I won't kill the boy." **_

Amaya flipped back when she sensed a punch near her face, the remnants of gas from the explosion catching her off guard. While having her internal conversation Bakugo had snuck up on her, his face covered to block out the miasma.

"Hey! Don't space out on me and fight!"

He slammed his palms on the floor and created a powerful explosion, causing an earthquake effect to occur on the stage. The ground cracked and groaned beneath her before completely crumpling.

Amaya flew into the air, crashing hard into the floor. She wheezed, trying to greedily suck in air when she felt a piercing weight on her tail.

"_GOD DAMMIT!" _

Yowling, Amaya immediately grabbed on to the heavy piece of concrete and tried to lift it. It wouldn't budge, her body was sore and while the adrenaline helped, she could feel herself peaking. Too weak to push the slab of concrete, Amaya started clawing at it widely.

Blood escaped her claws, some cracked at pressure, but Amaya didn't stop. Her tail was pinned and due to stupid sensitivity, the pain was intense. She heard Bakugo's light steps, no doubt he heard her cries and she watched as his red eyes stared at her small form hungrily.

Shit went from zero to a hundred real quick and Amaya felt cornered. Her black wisps surrounded her in a whirl of dark gas, and she could feel Yajū's nervousness.

"_**Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck him. Get away. Get away."**_

Amaya's body quivered and she felt Yajū slipping, instincts taking over.

Shit.

The tendrils began to spin widely and aimed themselves toward Bakugo. Amaya could feel the poison rising in her own body and felt tears prick her eyes.

"Get away," she cried out.

"You think you can beat me…"

Amaya couldn't hear him anymore; the tendrils were too close to his body.

Gold eyes wide, she screamed at him.

"Get away. I said GET AWAY!"

The tendrils wrapped around Bakugo's body without remorse and Amaya could see his skin melting off from where she sat. Screaming, she tried to back away which was impossible considering she was trapped.

Bakugo felt like his skin was crawling away and immediately used his explosions to fly into the air, gasping at the fresh air. Gritting his teeth, he felt his heart clench a bit at the absolute panic the tiny teen was exhibiting from having hurt him.

He understood why she was worried about showing her quirk before but at the same time she only needed to learn how to control it. Though right now he had to finish this match before Hitachi could actually hurt him again.

Ignoring the stinging and the twitches of his muscles, he powered through and used constant blasts to distract the girl. It wasn't too hard as her eyes were glazed over, muttering apologies. The tendrils stayed hovering near her as a form of protection.

This was going to hurt like a bitch. Bracing himself he swiftly used his hand to hit her in the back of the head, ignoring the burning sensation and watched as her eyes rolled back, tendrils disappeared, and she fell to the floor.

Bakugo quickly lifted the concrete off her tail and without thinking picked the small girl up in his shaky arms. She was so small and light, and he gently placed her in the nurse bots hands, not listening to how he won or the crowd's noises.

He was more focused on that girl right now. Even though he won, Bakugo could tell that once she learned to control her quirk, she'd be a real threat.

A small smile fell on his face without permission and he quickly rubbed it off with a smirk instead.

She wasn't bad for an extra, Hitachi was definitely something. Until she could use her quirk, he was definitely going to have fun with her around. She better wake up for his last battle because he wanted to show her he could be much better now that he fought her.

Bakugo couldn't wait to fight. He couldn't wait to win.

"You better watch me, runt. You'll see just how good I can really be."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys so I'm going to be posting every other Sunday now because adulting is getting to me and I'm having trouble writing. Right now I'm going to be editing stuff and take my time with new chapters. Hope y'all understand. Thank you for reading and stay safe!**


	16. Fourteen

For the second time that day, Amaya woke up in the nurse's office feeling all kinds of soreness and aching.

However, this time someone was clutching her hand in a vice grip. She opened her bleary eyes to see familiar shaggy black hair and concerned onyx eyes staring at her form in surprise. Aizawa was hunched over, eyes raking over her body looking for any extra injuries.

"You had me worried for a bit there kid. How ya' feeling?"

Amaya sat up, with the help of Aizawa, and stared at him tiredly.

"I feel like shit, but I guess I'm okay," she explained, fighting off a yawn. Aizawa nodded, gently ruffling her hair.

"You did really good. I didn't expect you to use your quirk though…" he trailed off, inquiring about her last fight.

Amaya blushed, avoiding eye contact, looking at the suddenly interesting bed sheets.

"I-I know and I'm so sorry. I know it was dumb and reckless but Bakugo needed me to do that. Still I shouldn't have, especially since I can't even turn it off myself-"

"Kid relax. I trust you, if you used it, I know it was for a reason. Besides I could've stepped in if I needed too," Aizawa interrupted softly, squeezing Amaya's hand.

Amaya felt tears prick her eyes without warning, and suddenly hugged Aizawa hard. Aizawa stilled before hugging her back just as tight, feeling his heart warm, glad that she was safe. He mentally thanked the universe once again for allowing Amaya to be in his life.

Amaya pulled back, feeling her face heat up before she began sputtering, "I'm sorry I don't know why I hugged you, I don't even know why I'm acting so emotional right now, I just- I don't- ugh…"

Aizawa chuckled softly and bonked the girl on her head.

"Hey, only you can hug me okay? I don't mind, if I did you would know," he trailed off with the slightest blush on his own face, never having been so open with someone before, specifically a kid.

Still Aizawa couldn't forget how many times he wanted to stop the fights whenever he saw Amaya get hurt or the nasty words he had trapped in his head after seeing what Yaoyorozu had done to the small cat girl. He had to remind himself multiple times to stop playing favorites and that he was still a teacher.

Amaya smiled brightly, laughing at his comment, pleased that they both really did care for each other. Just being here with Aizawa right now felt amazing. He was so good to her, that she would go as far and say Aizawa was like a dad to her.

"_Aww it's okay Yaya, I promise the thunder can't hurt us," Raion promised his little daughter, holding her trembling form close to him. _

_Amaya stared at him with wide eyes nodding, feeling safe in her father's arms. _

"_Daddy will always be here for you." _

_..._

"_Now Amaya this is how you hold a katana okay? Yes! You're so smart!" Her uncle complimented the four year-old Amaya who only struggled slightly to hold her sword. _

"_I'm really doing it Ojisan!"_

"_Haha of course. I'm your teacher and I'm the best. Aren't I your favorite uncle?"_

"_You're my only Ojisan silly," Amaya laughed, her uncle joining in too. _

"_Well then as your only uncle I promise to always be here for you. Blood is thicker than water."_

…

"Amaya? Amaya? Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit, why don't you lie down and rest," Aizawa advised, gently pushing the dazed cat-girl into bed, interrupting her thoughts.

Amaya's throat felt constricted and she subconsciously tugged on her shock collar. Why was she thinking of her family right now?

Her father was in prison, rightfully so, and her uncle disappeared after the Bloody Incident.

They left her. All alone.

She didn't need them.

_**But you miss them. **_

Gritting her teeth, she looked away and locked eyes with a concerned Aizawa.

That's all she needed; Aizawa. He was her new family and he wouldn't leave her. He saved her.

_**Everyone will eventually leave you…**_

"Hey, did I sleep through the last match or can I still watch it?" Amaya abruptly asked.

Aizawa paused, noticing the panic swirling in her golden eyes. Just what was this girl thinking about?

"Sorry kid, Bakugo and Todoroki's match finished a little while ago, that's why I'm here with you right now. Actually, you got third place so if you're feeling up to it want to go and receive that medal?" Aizawa suggested, pride ringing out.

Amaya cracked a small smile, completely forgetting she had placed at all. She felt a little giddy and quickly got up, ignoring her pain. Aizawa laughed at her enthusiasm and helped lead the petite teen toward the arena.

As Amaya walked closer to the platform, she was surprised to hear feral growls and metal screeching coming out from the room. Aizawa merely continued walking, not even batting an eye to the strange noises. Amaya stared up at him in concern but he merely mumbled "Bakugo" and left to help with the ceremony.

Unsatisfied with that answer Amaya prepared herself for anything and walked into the room where Todoroki, Iida and Bakugo were in.

Amaya came to a screeching halt at the scene before her. Bakugo was fully restrained; his arms and hands were chained up, his body wrapped around a wooden log, locked to the podium with a muzzle to complete the look.

"_**BWAHAHA! THEY ACTUALLY CHAINED THE POMMERANIAN! Damn, maybe this school isn't bad after all."**_

Amaya understood how that could be a funny sight but the fact that U.A. had to restrain Bakugo to such a degree was concerning in various ways. Why was he freaking out if he won? Wasn't there a more humane way of dealing with his outburst.

"_No one should be treated as an animal." _

Frowning she walked up close to the angry boy, his shouts muffled, body slamming against the chains.

"_**Oh, would you lighten up, jeez you're so sensitive." **_

"_Yes, because I was in this same position for a long period of time. Remember. I was eleven. I was chained for a month." _

Yajū stayed quiet after that, which Amaya appreciated because she could now focus on Bakugo. He hadn't stopped struggling, in fact after he noticed she had entered he seemed to get even more pissed off. Amaya ignored that and stood face to face with him, well more like face to chest because of the height difference, but she didn't look away from his ruby eyes. They were filled with anger, but Amaya noticed frustration in them too, and even a bit of loathing. At himself or someone else, she couldn't tell.

Bakugo kept pushing against the metal. At this rate he was going to hurt himself and without thinking Amaya pressed her hand flat against his chest, near his heart, and lightly rubbed him. He paused, shocked at her actions, but Amaya didn't stop, hoping to relax him.

"I don't know why you're in here but don't hurt yourself. Even you aren't immune to getting cuts and burns."

Bakugo stayed silent, observing the cat girl when she was suddenly pulled away.

Amaya squeaked, surprised at having been moved and crashed into a hard chest. She looked into heterochromic eyes questionably, but Todoroki kept his face impassive.

"The ceremony is about to start, you should get into your spot," he quietly stated, changing his grip on her waist from rough to gentle, slowly pulling Amaya away.

Bakugo began growling as soon as that Half-and- Half Bastard came into view but seeing his hands on Hitachi just spiked his anger even more.

Amaya stared at Bakugo in concern. Did her attempt really piss him off this much? She wanted to help him, but it seemed like she only made things worse, noted by his muffled shouts.

Todoroki felt strange, his emotions were all over the place ever since his fight with Midoriya. Seeing Hitachi didn't help but watching her caress Bakugo just didn't sit well with him either. He didn't even realize he moved until his hands clasped the small girl's body.

Amaya blushed once she noticed where Todoroki's hands were, not having felt them before with her worry for Bakugo. She didn't even get to say anything because Todoroki left her on her platform and went towards his, the screen in front of them warning them to get ready.

There was a flash, then Amaya felt herself being lifted up, white smoke and confetti surrounding her. Her ears were filled with the cheers of the crowd, fireworks and Bakugo's wild thrashing.

Midnight's voice rang through all the noise, but Amaya couldn't focus on it, amazed that she was standing here right now. She really made it to third place, that was crazy.

Bakugo was in first and Todoroki was in second, Amaya wished she could've seen that battle. But as Amaya looked around, she noticed Iida wasn't here at all.

"In addition to Hitachi, there is also Iida in third place, but he left early for family reasons. Thank you for understanding!" Midnight explained, her tone slightly higher than usual.

Amaya frowned at that, hoping that Iida was alright. She looked into the crowd and easily spotted her class, Midoriya and Uraraka seemed preoccupied with their thoughts.

"_I'm worried."_

"_**When aren't you." **_

Amaya ignored Yajū's unhelpful comment, disliking the distressed face that Midoriya was currently portraying.

"Now we will award the medals!" Midnight cheered, fireworks going off with her words.

The crowd cheered loudly but even then; certain dialogues could still be heard.

"Does a villain like her really deserve such a medal?"

"I bet it's rigged."

"Shh! She might hear you and use her quirk."

Amaya flinched having forgotten where she was and tried to remain neutral. Of course, not everyone would be happy with her there, they would much rather see someone like Iida receive a medal. She did too but she'd inquire what happened to him after all this was done. She just had to ignore those dark voices and focus on the positives.

"The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man—"

Boisterous laughter filled the arena, everyone turned to see the huge silhouette of All Might standing at the top of the stadium.

"Our very own hero, All Might!"

"I have brought the medals here!" All Might shouted, his voice intermingling with Midnight's.

"Young Hit— I mean Amaya, congratulations," he cheerfully stated, pulling the petite teen into a bear hug. He lifted the poor girl up without meaning too, her little legs dangling. Although it looked like she was being crushed, Amaya only slightly struggled, not being able to properly hug back so instead she gripped onto his arms.

She felt her heart warm that he called her Amaya and was ready to pull back when he whispered in her ear.

"You showed everyone today that you are serious and will work hard to be a hero; this medal is proof. Never forget that."

Gold eyes wide, she nodded, trying not to tear up. All Might was proud of her; she didn't think her life could get better than this.

He moved on to Todoroki and congratulated him as well but what caught Amaya's attention were his next words.

"I assume there is a reason you did not use your left side in the final?"

Todoroki didn't use his fire when he fought with Bakugo? Is that why Bakugo is so pissed off? It made sense, it seemed that Yajū was right.

"_**I'm always right dumbass." **_

"There is still something that I must settle," Todoroki finished saying, breaking Amaya out of her thoughts.

He then turned briefly to look at her before focusing on the crowd. Amaya stayed quiet hoping he could 'settle' out his problems whatever they may be.

"Now then Young Bakugo, good job doing what you said you would during the player pledge!" All Might cheered, taking off the muffler, allowing Bakugo to speak.

"_He really did place first like he promised." _

"All Might… First place like this… is not worth anything!" Bakugo angrily shouted, his voice resonating throughout the arena. "Even if the world recognizes it, if I don't recognize it myself, then it's trash!"

Amaya felt her heart clench at his words, she really never did notice how much of a high standard Bakugo held himself too. He wasn't just all talk, this boy worked hard and wanted to be recognized for his achievements, not handouts. Bakugo might be narcissistic but he was also determined.

All Might struggled to place Bakugo's medal on but eventually managed and turned to the crowd.

"Well they were the winners this time! But listen here! Anyone here could have ended up on these podiums. It's just as you saw—competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting!" All Might shouted excitedly, his words of encouragement lighting up a fire in everyone.

"_**Wow he really said y'all don't matter."**_

"_You missed his entire point. That's not what he—You know what, I don't have to explain this." _

"I just have one more thing to say!" All Might added, a huge smile on his face.

Everyone could feel the energy rising and even Amaya felt herself becoming amped to say these next words.

"Ready, set, go!"

"**PLUS ULTRA!"**

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Silence.

Then absolute chaos.

* * *

After that hilarious scene, everyone began to leave the arena and the students were escorted back into the building to change and speak to their teachers.

As Amaya got down from her place on the podium, she noticed Shinso heading her way. She jogged a little to catch up to him, gold eyes shining bright, black tail swaying side to side.

"Shinso!"

Said male gave a half smile in return and gently pulled on one of Amaya's ears.

"Hey, that's a nice medal you got there. I bet once you learn how to control your quirk, you'll win first for sure," he complimented, tugging on Amaya's bronze medal.

Amaya felt her cheeks pink and she lightly slapped at his hand.

"So, you're really not freaked out about my quirk then?" Amaya asked, her nose scrunched up in concern.

Shinso tiredly sighed and pinched her pale cheeks, enjoying how red they turned and the soft feel of them in his hands. Amaya whined, trying to scratch at his hands but he pulled away before she could.

"Idiot. I told you before didn't I? I don't care, I never did. Your quirk doesn't scare me and neither do you. Besides, look who you're talking to," he smirked, tapping his forehead.

Amaya smiled, comforted by his words. How did she get so lucky? She had such amazing and understanding friends now. Who would've thought someone like her could've achieved something like this.

"_**Gross. Ugh, whatever, stop with these sparkly feelings, they're annoying."**_

"_Hmmm are they actually annoying or are you just embarrassed?"_

"_**Embarrassed? Me? Hah! It's like you don't know me twerp!"**_

"_Sounds like denial to me."_

Yajū kept complaining but Amaya ignored it, smirking the whole time. She was only kidding before but maybe Yajū really was embarrassed. Amaya only really started interacting with Yajū after the Bloody Incident. Before, Yajū was only ever there when Amaya transformed or if she was overwhelmed with negative emotions. Or when someone Amaya cared about was in danger. This analysis felt somewhat like Amaya was on the verge of breakthrough, but before she could keep wondering about her relationship with Yajū, Shinso nudged her shoulder.

"You okay there spacy? You should probably head back to class. I see some of your dweeb friends waiting for you over there," he explained, pointing out to where Midoriya and Uraraka were waiting for her near the entrance.

Amaya nodded before scowling at the oh-so-kind nickname Shinso bestowed upon her friends.

"You know that makes you a dweeb too because you're also my friend," she replied, crossing her arms together smiling at him teasingly.

Shinso chuckled before tapping her head softly with his fist. He walked away, waving at her while shaking his head.

Amaya smiles softly before meeting up with her other friends, hurriedly walking to class.

"I guess I might be worse than a dweeb if it comes to you Amaya," Shinso smiled, whispering to himself as he entered the building with his class.

* * *

"So, there will be no school tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure the pro-heroes who watched the sports festival will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when you get back. So, rest well and look forward to that," Aizawa announced, sounding tired as always but Amaya could detect pride in it as well.

"**Yes, sir!" **

With that class was dismissed and Amaya lazily packed up her things.

She hadn't managed to speak with Midoriya or Uraraka about Iida since everyone rushed to get back to class. She had asked them to wait for her after class before they headed in, so now she was preparing herself for whatever happened. She had a bad feeling about it.

"Amaya-chan you did amazing! You even placed third! I'm so proud of you!" Uraraka cheered, squeezing Amaya's arm.

Amaya smiled softly and nodded, starting to become used to Uraraka's affection.

Midoriya smiled as well, glad to see that Amaya was smiling a lot more often now and she was becoming close to someone as kind as Uraraka.

"Yea, I couldn't say it before but congrats! You worked really hard!" Midoriya congratulated brightly.

Amaya smiled, trying to calm her desire to lecture Midoriya on the absurd amount of injuries he had.

"Thank you both. You guys were awesome too. Though I do wish you hadn't hurt yourself as much as you did but hopefully, you'll learn from this. It looks like I'm not the only one who needs to learn how to control their quirk," Amaya chastised, unable to resist worrying and reprimanding Midoriya.

He was so sweet it hurt to see him so injured.

Midoriya flinched, awkwardly laughing and nodding, avoiding eye contact with both girls.

"But anyways, there was a reason I wanted to speak to you both," Amaya continued, her tone taking on a serious note.

Uraraka and Midoriya nodded, concerned with the sudden aura Amaya was emitting.

"What happened to Iida?"

Midoriya stilled, Uraraka looked down to the floor, her expression falling.

"Iida's brother… Ingenium was attacked by a villain…" Midoriya quietly admitted, pain clear in his expression.

Amaya froze, clenching her hands into fists, feeling her claws sink into her skin.

"B-but I think everything will be fine! Iida is really strong, and his brother is Ingenium after all. Everything will be fine…" Uraraka tried to express cheerfully, yet the worry was obvious.

Amaya wanted to smile for Uraraka's attempt but couldn't ignore the urgency of the situation.

"Well, no matter what we'll be here for Iida. So, let's try and remember that. You guys should limit your messages to him but still let him know you're there," Amaya advised what she thought was best.

"You can too Amaya-chan, I can give you Iida-kun's number," Uraraka kindly offered.

Amaya raised her eyebrow before awkwardly laughing.

"That'd be nice, but I don't have a phone," she admitted looking away.

"You don't have a phone Amaya-chan?" Midoriya curiously repeated. He had never gotten the courage to ask for her number, even when they made a schedule to train together. It looked like Uraraka didn't either.

Amaya's hollow laugh quietly rang through, "I never saw the use of one before. It's not like there was ever anyone who wanted to text me."

Uraraka and Midoriya frowned at that, not liking the bitterness in her gold eyes.

"But maybe… I'll ask Aizawa if he can buy me one…" Amaya quietly offered, her face tomato red.

Midoriya thought Amaya's blushing was pretty cute before he replayed her words.

"Aizawa-sensei? Why would you ask him for a phone?" Uraraka hurriedly asked, beating Midoriya to it.

"_Shit." _

"_**Ugh you're such a dumbass."**_

"Because I'm her guardian. Now scram you kids, I'm tired and would like to go home," Aizawa abruptly added in, scaring all three teens.

Amaya looked at Aizawa with wide eyes, trying to express how sorry she was about her screw up. He merely patted her head and walked through the now empty classroom, towards the door, looking at her expectantly.

"Right! Well yea so please keep this a secret; I'll see you guys in a few days!" Amaya smiled, rushing her words. As she left she didn't try to apologize about letting the secret out since Aizawa seemed to trust those two. Satisfied and feeling better about her friends knowing a bit more about her life Amaya happily walked alongside Aizawa.

Midoriya stood frozen in his place trying to get his brain to catch up with this new bit of information. It made complete sense. Why she was so worried about him before, why she would give him certain looks... He was her guardian. It was also safest for her to be with him since Aizawa could cancel her quirk if he needed to

Uraraka and Midoriya left the classroom, watching the two black-haired figures walk away together. Midoriya smiled to himself, maybe it was just him, but he thought they were good for each other. Amaya definitely needed Aizawa-sensei, and just maybe he needed her too.

* * *

Walking home, Aizawa noticed the subtle happiness Amaya was exuding.

"So, you want a phone then kid?" He brought up, enjoying how her ears perked up.

"Y-Yes please! I'll do whatever chores or errands you'd like as compensation! Or I can even try and get a job if you—"

"Kid stop. I don't mind buying you a phone. You deserve one and it seems like your friends want to be able to contact you too," he explained, mentally thanking his students for giving her a chance, glad that she was making friends.

Amaya's tail swayed side to side and she briefly squeezed Aizawa's forearm in excitement.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Amaya squealed; her eyes bright with glee.

Aizawa smiled sincerely and opened the door to their home. Amaya entered with a spring in her step despite how tired she was and raced to grab Mochi. She began talking to the cat animatedly, walking towards the living room.

"Maybe I should've gotten her a phone before she had to resort to speaking to Mochi like that," he muttered, half joking half serious.

"I heard that. Plus, I got that from you," Amaya giggled, grinning mischievously.

"Whatever, give me my cat."

* * *

Amaya spent her day off chilling at home, recovering and letting her tired body relax. Her nightmares seemed to have disappeared too which Amaya greatly appreciated. No more scary red eyes glaring at her, instead she slept in with a calm mind.

Aizawa surprised her with her new black phone in the afternoon, which led to her giving him a tight hug and twirling Mochi around. She knew it should be embarrassing to be acting like that over an inanimate object, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't just the phone that made her happy anyways, it was what it signified; the fact that she had friends now, she was being treated, mostly, like a normal teenage girl. The fact that her life was moving forward, and she was growing with it. She knew that progress still had to be made, considering she couldn't take off her shock collar yet. Hopefully one day she could show everyone that she was a hero. Because she would be.

She was excited to return to school for once, but her mood dampened a little remembering the trouble Iida was in. She hoped his family was alright and couldn't wait to make sure he was too.

The next day arrived soon enough and Amaya left her house scowling at the rain and the fact that she had to walk alone. Aizawa had to enter the school earlier than usual to get his treatment with Recovery Girl. It seemed like he might be finally ready to take off his bandages. Amaya hoped he did, missing seeing his face.

As she entered the school, walking towards her secluded locker she was surprised to see Uraraka waiting for her.

"Ah Amaya-chan! That's some nasty rain we have, right!" Uraraka chatted away as Amaya placed her school shoes on and put her umbrella away.

Amaya nodded not used to being this animated in the morning, but not minding it.

"_**Liar. Chubby cheeks over here is too positive for this time in the morning." **_

"_Stop it. There's nothing wrong with being cheerful even if it's early in the day." _

"_**Uh yea there is, it's called being a psychopath, and that's coming from me." **_

"_You know what, I can't deal with __**you**__ in the morning." _

Amaya filtered back into what Uraraka was saying when they both noticed Iida speaking with Midoriya.

The two girls ran, Uraraka calling out Iida's name. Midoriya and Iida jumped, but the latter responded in his normally polite manner, "Good morning Uraraka-san, Amaya-san!"

"Iida are you—"

"Everything is fine Amaya-san, thank you for asking. Like I was telling Midoriya-kun my brother is okay and I'm sorry if I worried you all. Now let's head to class before we're late!" Iida cut her off, quickly leaving, his voice seeming fine, acting like his usual self.

Amaya didn't buy it. There was no way he was okay even if his brother was fine. She wanted to interrogate him more, but he left too fast for her to ask any questions.

Sighing, she followed her other two friends, they too seemed concerned for Iida, the walk to the classroom a quiet one.

As they all entered, the class was lively chatting about the sports festival. Amaya walked to her seat and as she sat down, she felt something move in her jacket. Confused, she pulled out her phone and face-palmed. She forgot to tell her friends she had a phone now.

"_Oh well, guess I'll tell them later." _

Aizawa soon came in, face uncovered, surprising the class. Amaya tuned out most of the chatter until she heard Aizawa speak about a special hero informatics class they were going to have.

What was that exactly? It sounded pretty serious, the rest of the class seemed scared, worrying Amaya.

"You'll be deciding your hero names today," he bluntly stated, not even caring that he caused most of his students mini heart attacks.

"_I really have to talk to him about his method of talking about average stuff." _

"This is related to the pro-hero drafts I mentioned the other day. The draft begins in earnest in the second and third years, after the students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation," Aizawa clearly explained.

"So, in other words we have to prove ourselves once we get picked!" Hagakure added in.

Aizawa agreed then showed the class the number of offers the top competitors received. Amaya gritted her teeth knowing she got zero.

She was right as her name didn't even show up on the board, but she was surprised Midoriya didn't receive any offers either.

"They're probably scared of you cause of the crazy way you were fighting," the class perv cried out.

"_**Heroes are just wimps."**_

"_Hmm, I understand what they're thinking is, however I also believe they're wrong. Midoriya has so much potential, what a waste."_

"Hitachi got third and she still didn't get any offers? Dang.."

"Well I mean, it makes sense. Even though I find it unfair now, people don't really want to mentor a villain's kid."

Amaya pulled at her hair in frustration. Her situation was quite difficult.

"Keeping this results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will be participating in internships with pros," Aizawa continued, looking directly at Amaya.

"_Who the hell would want me though?" _

"_**No one."**_

"Internships?" Midoriya questioned.

"Yea. At USJ you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it still will be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand," Aizawa finished.

"That explains why we're picking hero names!" Some kid called out.

"Well those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it…" Aizawa started.

"You'll have hell to pay later!" Midnight finished, slamming the classroom doors open.

The class sprang to attention, Amaya included who couldn't help but wince at the mention of hero names.

This was bad, what the hell was she going to pick? Whatever she picked now was going to affect her later on.

"When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it," Aizawa clarified, his black eyes once again landing on Amaya's.

"_Damn. This sucks." _

"_**Ha I wonder what these losers are going to pick." **_

As she was handed the white board and marker Amaya stared, more like glared, at it. She tried to look at Aizawa for some guidance, but he already cocooned himself in his sleeping bag, taking his daily nap.

They were given some time, but Amaya was drawing up a blank. No matter what name she gave herself, the public would hate it. Her parents' code names used to mean safety for the people, and they ruined that by committing mass murder. Her name was always going to be tainted.

Midnight declared that it was time to present their names and Amaya felt herself panic. However, as the students showed off their names, she felt the slightest bit better seeing how some of them were rejected. Then Asui went and her hero name was quite adorable.

"_Should I try and go for something cute too? Would that help me somehow?" _

"_**Hell no. Don't you fuck this up." **_

"_You know you're not really helping." _

"_**Because I don't care. It's a stupid name, you can call yourself Little Whiskers or Fluffy, it's the same shit. No matter what you choose you'll always be a Hitachi first." **_

Groaning Amaya slammed her head on the desk. This was useless, Yajū was right.

Amaya sighed, defeated as she laid back in her chair and listened to her other classmates say their names. A lot of them were really good but she felt relief when Todoroki only used his first name as his hero name. She also laughed her ass off when Bakugo tried to get away with 'King Explosion Murder'.

"Wow this is going more smoothly than I expected. Now all that's left is for Bakugo to rethink his name and then Midoriya, Iida and Hitachi are left to present," Midnight called out, causing Amaya to flinch.

As Amaya contemplated her name, Iida showed his off, rather cowardly. He chose his first name as well, but Amaya felt like he didn't like it, and she didn't either.

She really needed to talk to him again. Before she could worry more, Midoriya presented his name, shocking everyone.

'Deku' was written nice and big on his board, for everyone to see.

"Are you really okay with that?" Kaminari hesitantly asked.

"You might be called that forever you know," Kirishima added on.

Midoriya nodded, "Yea. I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it, and that had a huge impact on me. It made me really happy," he paused for a moment, then with a bright smile of on his face he proudly announced, "This is my hero name!"

Amaya smiled back, once again amazed by Midoriya. By Deku. He was going to be one hell of a hero.

Bakugo went up again only to be shot down for his rendition of 'Lord Explosion Murder'.

Amaya wanted to chuckle, but it got stuck in her throat when Midnight called her name.

"Hitachi are you ready?"

_No. _

"_Hitachi means rising sun Amaya, we are a force to be reckoned with. Never forget how much power your name holds." _

"_Amaya means night rain. Let the name Amaya wash away everything else. The Amaya I know is a hero, someone truly good." _

"_Okay Yaya why don't we call this voice in your head Yajū, it's less scary if it has a name right?" _

"_Amaya you have to relax and take control! Be the dominant one in this relationship. If not, then Yajū will put everyone in danger."_

"_DEMON CHILD!" _

"_Amaya…"_

"Hitachi! Hitachi! Young lady have you thought of a name yet or not?" Midnight impatiently called out, bringing Amaya out of her head. The class stared at the cat-girl sympathetically, understanding her predicament.

No matter what she chose she was always going to be a Hitachi.

"No. I haven't thought of something yet," she muttered.

Midnight sighed, nodding briefly before going up to wake up Aizawa.

Now that he was awake, he explained about the internships more. How they were only going to last for a week and how they could choose from a list of pro-heroes if they had offers. He also mentioned that even if they didn't have any offers there'd be about forty different agencies they could choose from. Amaya zoned out after that, feeling overwhelmed by everything. Would anyone take her in? Even if she wanted to apply somewhere would they allow her to intern?

She numbly took her list, not even looking at the names. The bell sounded, but Amaya didn't move, she didn't want to.

She went through the motions for most of the day and when it was time for lunch she only slumped down in her seat, once again glad she couldn't legally sit near everyone else. She didn't think she could handle people's pity right now. She knew she should get up and go eat with Shinso but today was really wearing her out and she had no appetite. She closed her eyes and just let herself listen to her classmates' conversations. She found it interesting that Uraraka picked a battle hero to intern at and couldn't wait to hear about her experiences. Amaya thought it was cute that Bakugo inspired Uraraka, and Amaya wondered where that angry porcupine would intern.

Amaya opened her eyes and noticed that Iida had circled an agency and wondered where he would go as well. She really needed to talk to him but right now she was too out of it. Midoriya and Uraraka tried to converse with her but she couldn't manage to respond, and they noticed the heavy aura surrounding her as well. Thankfully they left her alone, only smiling in encouragement which she appreciated.

The day went on rather slowly and Amaya wished she could go back home and sleep. Before the final bell Aizawa asked to meet with her in the staff room.

After saying her goodbyes to her friends she trudged her way through and noticed Iida turning in his papers. She stayed behind, deciding to catch up with him before he left.

"Hey, wait Iida, we didn't get to talk much today. How are you?" Amaya awkwardly asked, watching as Iida avoided her eyes.

"I'm fine Hitachi-san but I'm in a hurry so I must leave now," he tried to escape but she caught onto his arm.

"Are you sure? Sorry it's just you seem off. Can you at least let me know where you'll be interning at? I noticed you picked one really fast," she stalled, hoping he would answer her.

"I'm fine, really. If you must know I chose to intern at Manual's agency. Now please, I'm sorry but I must leave," with that he power-walked away from her.

Manual. She knew that name. He was the… Normal Hero!

"_Wait a minute. So, Iida who had like 300 options chose to intern at Manual's agency? He's not bad but I'm sure Iida has better options. Why is he interning there?" _

"_**Ugh who cares, can we just go home?" **_

It didn't make any sense. Why would someone like Iida intern there? Amaya sighed, putting her hands in her pockets when she felt her phone.

Her phone, maybe if she looked up more information about this agency, she could find out why Iida picked it. Still not used to her device, she slowly managed to search up the Manual agency where basic information first popped up. She noticed that it was located in Hosu City and for some reason Amaya felt like that was important. But why?

"Amaya what are you doing waiting outside?" Aizawa questioned, popping out of the office, scaring Amaya into almost screaming.

Aizawa tried not to laugh and smirked, watching as she childishly pouted. He was glad to see her eyes had brightened, even if it was just a little. He had noticed how quiet and unapproachable she was being since the whole name thing this morning.

Hopefully this would cheer her up more.

"Amaya you actually did get an offer if you're interested," Aizawa mentioned, his voice a little shaky.

Amaya's gold eyes widened.

"For real? Who would want to hire me?" She asked, clutching onto her tail.

"Well if you wouldn't mind, I would actually," he stated, voice bored but Amaya detected a hint of nervousness.

Tears welled up in her eyes. This man was too sweet to her, she really didn't know how she would be without him. Why was he nervous? Did she really think she was going to say no?

"Aizawa I— t-thank you. Thank you, really you have no idea what this means to me," Amaya wetly whispered, holding herself back from crying.

Aizawa smiled softly and patted her head, "I'm glad to see you're not tired of me yet."

Amaya laughed and light nudged his shoulder, "Never."

He smiled and for the first time that day Amaya felt the chaos in her leave. Aizawa always knew how to save her day. She was super excited to intern now.

"When do we start?"

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys sorry it's been a while. Here is the next chapter, I'm going to try and stick to a schedule but my life has been getting quite hectic and I rather provide you guys with quality then fast but shitty writing. Thank you for reading, stay safe :)**


	17. Fifthteen

This wasn't real.

No. It couldn't be…

How the fuck did it turn out like this?

Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya stared at her in shock, hyper aware of her movement now.

They never even noticed when she moved in front of them, hands out as if to push them away. She was white as a ghost, her eyes glazed over with swirling emotions of confusion, fear and something else. Almost pleading that they back away, her tail twitching by her katanas.

What was she doing?

"_Please this can't be happening. I don't know what to do."_

**Step.**

"_No, don't come near me. Please don't."_

Sweat slowly dripped down her back, gold eyes scanning back and forth between her friends, hating the confusion in their faces.

**Step. **

"_This isn't real!" _

Her breathing quickened, her little pants just barely giving her enough oxygen. Her shock collar never felt tighter.

**Stop.**

"Aww and here I thought you wouldn't have remembered me…." a sinister voice chuckled, rough hands clutched Amaya's shoulders, causing the shaking cat-girl to flinch.

"It's so nice to see my little niece still cares about her uncle huh?" Soulless red eyes stared into her trembling ones.

He smirked, and gently patted her head, his blood dripping onto her cheeks. _Was it __**his**__ blood? _

"Now my little Yajū, why don't you introduce me to your classmates. Of course, it's only fair as they're about to die at my hands."

**No.**

* * *

The day after finding out she would be interning with Aizawa went much better. Amaya was more responsive with her friends, who were worried about her mood yesterday. She was glad to have been able to calm their concerns and even promised to eat lunch with them after they came back from their internships.

Both cinnamon rolls were quite happy with that and Iida looked pleased as well, yet his mind seemed somewhere else. Iida continued behaving weirdly normal, but he was also sort of avoiding them.

Amaya hadn't managed to find the time to figure out what his deal was, but she promised herself before they left to intern, she'd try and talk to him once more.

On a brighter note, she finally managed to get her friends' numbers who happily handed their information over.

Uraraka and Midoriya seemed surprised but glad that Amaya had managed to get a phone, and both couldn't help but subtly glance at Aizawa. It still felt a bit weird that their classmate was under the supervision of a teacher, but they were happy for her. Plus, Midoriya really couldn't judge seeing his relationship with All Might. Though he could admit that Amaya and Aizawa definitely kept things under wraps, they were very professional in keeping their secret.

Yeah, he and All Might probably had to fix that.

The oblivious Amaya only watched curiously as her friends added in their numbers, completely missing the little interaction Uraraka and Midoriya had.

Midoriya was quite adorable when adding his contact information, putting 'Deku' at the end. Uraraka became Amaya's first contact with an emoji, and she didn't expect anything else from the straightforward Iida, who simply added his first and last name. Amaya even managed to acquire Shinso's number, who had not liked that she ditched him the day before.

"_Amaya are you alright?" Shinso asked her as soon as he saw her enter their classroom. _

_Her heart skipped a beat at hearing her name leave his lips and she stared at him before she reminded herself that she needed to answer. _

"_Huh? Um yea. Why wouldn't I be?"_

_He raked his eyes over her, confirming what she said. His face transformed from worry to confusion and ended in hurt._

"_Then why didn't you come to lunch yesterday? I tried finding you after your classes, but you had already left. You really had me worried," he sighed, slumping down into one of the chairs. _

_Amaya felt a bit guilty yesterday for not telling Shinso that she'd be missing lunch with him. Seeing the hurt in his eyes only made it worse and she felt a weird urge to hug him in an effort to try and comfort him. _

"_I'm sorry, I just wasn't really up for any company. Plus, I didn't know how to contact you but now I can! I know what I did was shitty, but could you give me your number so this won't happen again?" Amaya pleaded, clutching her hands together and staring at him innocently before holding out her black phone to him. _

_Shinso felt his cheeks warm before he collected himself and smirked. _

"_Is that the only reason you want my number?"_

"_Well, I also want it because we're friends. That's okay… right?" Amaya hesitantly questioned, starting to feel a bit insecure since he hadn't taken her phone. _

_Shinso's smirk softened at her vulnerable expression, "Of course we're friends. I was only teasing you." _

_Amaya smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder in response. Shinso chuckled before adding his name and number, sending himself a winky face as a joke. _

_Amaya laughed lightly and settled down for lunch. _

Amaya smiled softly, glad she resolved things with him. She even managed to convince him to join her and her friends to lunch next time, to which he agreed albeit unamused.

He got her back though with that little stunt he pulled right before they left.

_Shinso pulled Amaya gently by the wrist once he saw her leaving, surprising the cat girl, her black ears twitching. _

"_Yes?"_

_Shinso smirked before he leaned his head down and spoke softly in her ear. _

"_I still haven't forgiven you for ditching me. I think that earns you some kind of punishment. You'll make it up to me soon, don't worry. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other sooner than you think." _

_He left before she could respond, not that she could due to her flaming face and racing heart. _

Blushing again Amaya scowled, just remembering his husky voice made her shiver. Not necessarily in a bad way but definitely in a new weird way.

She didn't understand why he said that or his cryptic words. She also didn't know how she was going to make it up to him, but she was pretty sure he was joking on the whole punishment thing. At least she hoped… She was still new to having friends. Deciding not to dwell on it Amaya focused on the positives.

Her day was actually fairing much better than she imagined, her classmates were actually saying hi to her now. Ever since the sports festival they had become more friendly, complimenting her on her grades or if she performed an exercise well.

Hell, when she asked Midoriya for his number she was surprised that Kirishima and Kaminari also asked if they could exchange numbers. She laughed remembering how they asked Bakugo if he also wanted his number to be added in, to which he kindly said, "I don't need no stinking extra's number."

And being the polite lady that she was, Amaya responded with, "Well that makes things easier since I wasn't going to give it to you."

Watching Bakugo become red from rage certainly always made her day better.

Their relationship had also somewhat shifted since the festival, he teased her more whenever she tripped or messed anything up. Likewise, she insulted him whenever the opportunity presented itself and while Bakugo's rage was real, Amaya understood that he also didn't hate her.

At least she hoped he didn't.

Either way by the end of class Amaya felt rather pleased with her day.

She was readying herself to leave and walk with Uraraka and Midoriya when someone delicately tugged on her arm, making her pause. She didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Todoroki, his ice cold skin a dead giveaway.

"Hitachi."

Amaya merely raised her brow, not expecting this interaction to occur and trying to keep herself from appearing too curious.

Todoroki stopped for a second as if to collect himself and that's when Amaya noticed a change in his eyes. He seemed… better in a way. He didn't look like he hated the world as much anymore, his multicolored eyes appearing softer and more open than before.

"I heard you got a phone," he awkwardly started, waiting for her to confirm his claim.

Amaya nodded, expecting him to continue but he just left the conversation there for several moments.

Amaya knew she was awkward, but Todoroki really took it to a whole other level. It was so different from his witty, cold, calculative self that she had gotten used too.

He coughed before, thankfully, starting to speak again. "I was wondering if it'd be appropriate to exchange contact information with you?"

Well, she should've known that's what he wanted but she was honestly shocked. He wanted her number? Todoroki? Endeavor's son? The same Endeavor that hated her?

"Um you do realize if I gave you my number that'd probably cause your dad to have an aneurysm, right?"

Todoroki smirked at that, a sadistic glint flashing in his eyes.

"Heh don't give me that kind of hope. If that really did happen that'd just be a nice bonus," Todoroki lowly drawled, his smile sending shivers up Amaya's back.

"_That's the Todoroki I know, well maybe a scarier Todoroki actually."_

"_**Damn I didn't think IcyHot could be this jarring. It's hot." **_

Blushing, and now concerned for not only Todoroki's mental health but her own as well. Amaya tried to cool her expression.

"Moving on, why this sudden interest in having my number? I didn't think you'd like me or want to be close?" Amaya prodded; her words sharp.

Todoroki nodded, "I didn't think I'd do something like this either, but I also never expected Midoriya or you to wildly call my name and encourage me to use my quirk during the sports festival either," he half smiled, eyes full of mischief. "Guess I'm not the only one filled with surprises."

Amaya flushed, desperately trying to forget how aggressively she acted when Todoroki was fighting. Avoiding his eyes, she slowly conceded into the thought.

"Alright I'll bite," she showed her fangs jokingly, ignoring Todoroki's deadpan stare. "But seriously, it's good that you're coming out of your shell."

He looked at her strangely. "I could say the same thing to you."

Amaya didn't respond, letting the conversation end there as she entered her number, mind clouded with numerous emotions.

This was so strange. But she didn't hate it. She bit her lip to keep her smile to herself and left to head home with Aizawa.

* * *

The morning of internships arrived, and Amaya was seething in her spot next to Aizawa on the train station platform. Her tail flickered from side to side in irritation, foot tapping impatiently. Her eyes narrowed into slits and if it wasn't for Aizawa's presence she would've been baring her teeth.

Lest to say she was pissed.

She finally made the connection of Hosu City and why Iida would train at Manuel's agency. That's where his older brother was attacked.

"_This dumbass! What is he going to do? Does he actually think he can track down that psycho on his own?"_

"_**Didn't think Mr. Uptight would have such blood lust." **_

Amaya agreed, worried and angered by Iida's _highly_ possible motivation to intern there. She knew he might not do anything because this was _Iida _for goodness sake but still. When it came to family, anyone could go down a dark path.

And based on how he's been acting lately, she wouldn't put it past him. But Stain was no joke, this villain managed to kill 17 heroes! Did Iida seriously think he could fight against him? Alone?

"Kid if you keep twirling your tail like that you might snap it off. What's wrong? You've been antsy all morning," Aizawa called out softly, patting Amaya's head with care. None of his students were around yet, just the morning commuters, so he didn't have to worry about being caught, he just couldn't stand still watching her nerves eat at her.

Amaya frowned, calming down the slightest bit, subconsciously turning into the affectionate gesture.

"I'm just worried about Iida, he's been off since his brother's been attacked," Amaya admitted, her lip puffing out in remorse.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed, he too had seen that. And the fact that Iida just so happened to pick an agency very close to where Stain attacked his older brother didn't sit well with him either.

Before he could comment, students started arriving, Iida unsurprisingly being the first one.

Amaya took her chance to lunge onto his arm uncaringly, surprising the tall boy.

"A-Amaya-san what are you doing?! Are you alright? Do you—"

Amaya didn't listen, instead dragging him off to somewhere private on the station and pushing him with all her might against the wall.

Grabbing him by the collar she pulled him in close, their noses touching, gold eyes slanting menacingly.

"Don't. You. Dare. Do something stupid. Do you understand me?" Amaya threatened, growling the words out.

Iida's flustered state calmed down instantly, his face hardening as he stared at her with cold blue eyes.

"I have no idea as to what you're referring to Amaya-san," he replied, grabbing her wrist firmly and tugging it away from him, "but I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business."

Amaya's eyes softened, trying her best to express her concern, "Iida please… I know what you're thinking but you're going about this the wrong way. You'll end up getting hurt and—"

"And as I said. It's not your business," he pointed out, icily.

Amaya sighed, frustrated, but Iida walked away forcing Amaya to shut up, only able to hope that maybe Midoriya or someone else could knock the stupid out of him.

Speaking of Midoriya, he showed up, face pensive even as Aizawa started reminding everyone once again to behave on their internships. Amaya quietly neared him, tugging on his sleeve to get him to lower himself so she could whisper in his ear.

"Please say something to Iida, I have a really bad feeling about his internship."

Midoriya nodded, wanting to respond but also trying to act subtle so he squeezed the hand that was still on his sleeve instead.

Amaya blushed slightly, feeling reassured with Midoriya's gentle touch. If anyone could get through to Iida it was hopefully him.

Once Aizawa announced for everyone to get going she saluted Midoriya and Uraraka before following her mentor out the door.

She hoped they could reach Iida, unlike her. Right now, all she could do was leave it up to them and look ahead.

"Lucky for you, you're going to be training at the U.A. grounds with me," Aizawa sarcastically drawled.

Amaya laughed lightly, ignoring the penetrative stares of scared citizens. She had barely noticed them in the morning with her anger occupying her thoughts. Now that she was more relaxed their intense stares were as uncomfortable as they were irritating.

"_**You should just bark. Give them something to look at." **_

"_No. We're with Aizawa, and we're not a dog!"_

"_**I mean you can be a bitch." **_

Trying desperately to keep her face from falling flat she begged to any higher being to once again help her mental state.

"Oh, and you won't be training alone either kid. I decided to intern someone else," Aizawa mentioned, keeping his eyes trained on anyone who glared too harshly at Amaya.

Amaya froze mid-step, staring at his back in shock for a moment.

Aizawa was interning someone else? Did they know she was going to be with him too? We're they okay with it?

Aizawa noticed her falter in step and the increasing panic building up so he quickly flicked her forehead to calm her down.

"Relax. Jeez kid you should know me better than that. I've already told them about you, and they said they had no problem with it. I've also made sure that they weren't a piece of shit," Aizawa explained, using that gentle voice reserved solely for Amaya.

Said cat-girl blushed sheepishly and nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed about not trusting Aizawa.

Of course, Aizawa was still looking out for her. She was being silly.

Right?

* * *

As they entered the U.A. grounds Amaya wondered what Aizawa would be working with her today. Her quirk? Maybe her martial art skills?

What about that other person? Since Aizawa's reassurance, he let the topic drop and Amaya had been too shy to ask who she was going to be sharing him with.

"Hey kid I need to grab something from my office real quick, just meet me in the training room," he hurriedly called out, making an abrupt turn to his office.

Amaya sputtered out a non-intelligible response before tiredly sighing, heading towards the changing room and getting into her U.A. gym uniform.

Her mind was so preoccupied with anxiety about this partner that she crashed into the training room door, a small "oof" noise escaping her.

Scowling she collected herself and tried to open the door only for it to be swung wide open by a wildly amused, partly concerned Shinso.

"Woah there **partner**, try not to hurt yourself. That's supposed to be my job," he taunted jokingly.

Amaya's jaw dropped. No fucking way.

All previous tension left her body at seeing Shinso. She didn't have to be awkward with someone new! She could do that with Shinso.

Amaya blamed her pure relief for her next actions.

Without thinking she threw herself onto him, shocking the poor boy who barely managed to save her fall, taking most of the impact. Shinso groaned a little before giving a slightly strained smirk in return.

"I'd hope you'd be happy, but I didn't think it'd be this much. You have to calm yourself, kitten, I might not be there to catch you next time," Shinso chastised, his grip tightening slightly on her small body.

Amaya felt heat explode all over, steam practically coming out of her ears. This position, Shinso's low voice and new nickname were too much. She felt her brain short-circuiting.

"What's wrong kitten? Cat got your tongue?" Shinso teased, making no effort to get up or let Amaya go.

White wraps suddenly entered around the two, pulling them apart, setting Amaya down softly before all turning a tightening grip on a shocked Shinso.

Aizawa's gaze was murderous, not that Amaya could see since she was trying to calm herself down.

Shinso however could not escape it if he tried, if it wasn't for the wraps cutting off his breathing he would've gulped.

"I see you two have been acquainted… Amaya are you alright?" Aizawa kindly asked, seeing as the red cat-girl was still flustered. Seeing Amaya tangled up with that boy, quite literally, had rubbed him the wrong way and subconsciously Aizawa gripped his wraps a bit harder, enjoying the gasp Shinso let out.

Amaya nodded, feeling more concern for Shinso as his skin was turning the same color as his hair.

Aizawa also noticed and reluctantly let go.

Shinso dropped to the floor with a thud, wheezing and coughing, trying to fill his lungs back with air. He backed away from Amaya, eyes glazed over, holding a new fear towards Aizawa.

Amaya turned, ready to help but Aizawa placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, preventing her.

"Well why don't you just tell me how you two got to know each other first?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Amaya felt worried about the dark aura Aizawa was manifesting.

"I-I talked to her the first day of school s-sir, I mean sensei! We're friends," Shinso nervously bit out, his words rushed.

Amaya could sense the tension but didn't understand it, so she chose to ignore it. Maybe it was just a guy thing.

"Yeaaa… Shinso is my friend! So I just got a little excited when I saw that he'd be who else was interning with you. What made you take him under your wing?" Amaya conformed, hoping to turn the conversation around.

It worked thankfully, Aizawa sighed, nodding along to the answer. He was glad Amaya and Shinso we're friends but that didn't mean he liked this boy being cozy with her.

However, he also couldn't deny the soft spot he held for the boy either. Shinso reminded Aizawa of himself from when he was a teen. Both considered "weak" just because they didn't have showy emitter or physical quirks. Aizawa could see that this kid worked hard and saw potential in him. He just didn't expect Shinso to be so touchy with his pseudo daughter.

"Because this kid has the guts to be a hero, he just needs proper training."

Amaya smiled, agreeing. Shinso really did have such an amazing quirk, she still didn't understand why he wasn't in the hero course. U.A. really only cared about "strong" quirks which was stupid because Shinso's was obviously stronger than any fire power.

She sighed, this world really did have a warped way of demonstrating and portraying heroes.

"_**Fucking yea. You've known this. There are no real heroes anymore. Look at the big-headed fire man. He's a dick but because he can set things on fire he's like the number two hero!"**_

"_Well I agree that this society is very biased with physical quirks. However my issue is toward the fact that Endeavor is a piece of trash but still considered a hero. And lots of other heroes are probably like this too."_

Before her thoughts could get any deeper, or darker, Aizawa brought out a second pair of wraps from behind his pocket, distracting her.

He threw them towards Shinso who almost missed, catching the ropes from surprise.

"I went to my office because I needed to grab those. You have a strong quirk but that doesn't mean you can't be knocked down. Need I mention the sports festival," Aizawa mentioned, causing Shinso to flinch.

Amaya looked towards the two in confusion wondering what exactly happened in Shinso's match with Midoriya. She only knew Shinso had lost but she didn't bother to ask why.

"Trust me sensei I won't forget that. I know I need to train my physical abilities more, that was very clearly demonstrated in front of everyone," Shinso sighed, his tone slightly bitter.

Amaya wanted to comfort him but she felt like maybe doing that in front of Aizawa wasn't the smartest. It looked like he didn't like seeing them touch which Amaya guessed she could understand. They were supposed to be fighting each other and not being caring.

"So then what are we going to be doing today Aizawa?" Amaya asked, hoping to all that was good it wouldn't be quirk training.

Fortunately it seemed like luck was on her side.

"Well seeing as you both are in need of obvious combat training, we'll start with that. Tomorrow we can focus on your quirks. For now just show me what you guys got."

Amaya raised an eyebrow, finally noticing the change in his outfit. He had tied his hair into a bun wearing black sweats and a grey tank top. Did he mean for them to attack him?

Aizawa saw the concern in her eyes and the panic in Shinso's, trying not to laugh.

"What's wrong? Worried I can't handle it?"

_No. We're worried we can't, _both teens thought as they looked at each other helplessly.

Aizawa smirked, his eyes widening in crazed delight.

"C'mon kids. Let's see if you can take me down," he taunted.

"Can we use our quirks?" Shinso muttered.

Aizawa immediately turned on his quirk just in case and laughed, "You can try, but that won't help you at all."

Aizawa took off his capture weapon to be a little more fair and got into a fighting stance, looking relaxed.

"Begin."

Amaya really didn't want to; this was her first time ever fighting Aizawa. She had always wanted to fight him, but something had always gotten in the way, and now that the moment was here, she hesitated. But she knew she had to, so forgetting her feelings she raced forward, Shinso staying back. He opted to observe Aizawa first since he was the least competent in fighting.

As Amaya got closer, she lunged for his legs, focusing on taking him down. Aizawa easily jumped, flipping over her and aimed for a kick to her back. Amaya thankfully caught it in time, but she wasn't prepared for the force of his kick and fell down easily.

Groaning, she sat up, laying on her elbows to see Aizawa already in front of a wide eyed Shinso.

"Observing first to see what the enemy's fighting style is smart," Aizawa smirked, grabbing under Shinso's arm and pinning it to his side in a death grip.

Shinso struggled, trying to land a cross but Aizawa deflected it, "but standing there defenseless isn't," he continued, easily flipping Shinso onto his back, glee in his eyes at the boy's obvious pain.

Both teens huffed as they stood up once more, a serious glint in their eyes, focusing on trying to take Aizawa down.

Aizawa grinned widely, the glare in their eyes firing up his own competitive side.

Amaya growled and ran around Aizawa in a circle as Shinso took the lead this time. Shinso aimed smooth punches but Aizawa easily evaded them, returning it with a wicked front kick that knocked Shinso down.

Amaya took her chance at seeing Aizawa open from behind and jumped on his unguarded back.

Aizawa didn't even seem shaken as he grabbed her small arms, throwing her into Shinso who had barely gotten up.

The teens groaned in pain, Shinso forcing himself to not touch Amaya, lest he be choked to death once more.

"You guys attack too aggressively. Specifically, you Amaya, you're like a bull who sees red. Offense is good, but you guys have to be more relaxed in your stance. Instead of fighting head on, use your opponent's momentum against them," Aizawa instructed, moving closer to the teens and demonstrating what he meant.

Amaya ungracefully got off Shinso helping him stand.

"_I know that… it's just been a while since I've had to fight anyone." _

"_**Pathetic." **_

"_If you haven't noticed, trying to blend in and not cause a commotion is what I've been focusing on for the last three years. So yea I'm rusty and probably head in too impulsively, but it's worked so far!" _

"_**Uh huh. And that's why Mummy over there is wiping the mat with your face right now. Seriously without your little swords or me you'd be dead." **_

Amaya rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit the possible truth in that sentence.

Shinso nudged the cat-girl, trying to stop her from zoning out, freezing when he felt Aizawa's cold stare on him.

"Now then. Try again."

* * *

After two hours of unsuccessful capture, Shinso and Amaya were dripping with sweat, panting loudly. While they had failed to actually pin down their mentor, they had improved greatly and even got a flow going on in the last round.

"Good job kids. Definitely saw better footwork and you're finally attacking with your head and not your anger. Tomorrow we'll focus on your quirks and all the rules there are when using them in the public." Aizawa explained, taking his hair out from the tight bun.

Amaya grimaced, taking her towel and wiping down her flushed skin. Shinso did the same, trying to keep his eyes to himself but it was practically impossible with Amaya standing two feet in front of him. Every time he snuck a glance, he couldn't help but admire her strong form.

She was definitely tired but didn't let herself show it. He had seen her fight before and while he admitted that she did rush into things, he couldn't help but appreciate that part about her. She took things head on and went off instinct. Her fighting style wasn't something to sneer at either. Though she struggled to pin Aizawa, she had managed to touch him a few times, even managing a punch here and there.

Rusty as she was, Amaya was way better than him but Shinso took a little pride in being stronger than her. Though it concerned him more than it made him happy.

As she continued to wipe herself clean, he couldn't help but stare at her pale skin, which looked so cute when red. Her tail lazily swaying side to side made him want to scoop her into his arms and carry her home.

A bruising grip made its way onto his shoulder and only by pure pride did Shinso not whimper in pain. Aizawa forced a smile as he looked at his pupil, trying not to get angry at how he looked at his charge and failing.

"Well why don't we all go home now; I need a nap."

Amaya agreed and sluggishly picked up her things before heading near Shinso and Aizawa, too tired to question their weird dynamic.

Aizawa smiled innocently at her before gently patting her head. The action did not pass by Shinso and he openly stared at the two in confusion.

Amaya noticed; her expression quickly went from relaxed to panicked in a second. She felt herself sputtering to explain but Aizawa merely laid his arm on her head effectively shutting her up. Amaya didn't speak, giving Aizawa a blank expression.

Aizawa was pretty affectionate with her but only outside of the public eye, she didn't understand. Why was he suddenly acting all dad-like in front of Shinso?

"She's not just my student, she's my **kid**. Got it?" Aizawa forcefully stated even though it was supposed to be a question.

Shinso gulped, hurriedly nodding, completely understanding why Aizawa was so overprotective with Amaya now. He thought it was just because Aizawa was overprotective of his students. Shinso felt like an idiot. He was flirting and getting touchy with someone Aizawa saw as his daughter. Honestly, he was surprised Aizawa hadn't killed him yet.

Amaya stared starry eyed at Aizawa, forcing the happy tears down. That was the first time he ever said anything like that, and it warmed her heart. Without realizing she tugged shyly on his sleeve, a pretty pink hue all over her cheeks.

Both males noticed and immediately thought it was adorable, but in different ways. Aizawa smiled softly and let go of Shinso, walking in front of Amaya.

"That's my cue to leave. See you tomorrow brat."

Amaya politely nodded before walking along with Aizawa, still warm about what just occurred.

"_**In case you forgot you already have a dad. Remember."**_

Amaya sighed at that, trying to ignore that fact.

"_Well yes but he isn't here right now. He left me." _

"_**How do you know Aizawa won't do the same?"**_

"_He won't." _

"_**Ah ah ah! How can you be so sure? Don't be stupid, c'mon you know —"**_

"_I said he won't." _

Amaya hoped her cold response would've shut Yajū up, but she was wrong.

"_Besides, I thought you liked Aizawa?"_

"_**Doesn't matter if I like him. I like him now, but can I trust him always? Can you?" **_

"_Yes."_

"_**You thought that way about your dad and uncle and look where they are."**_

Amaya bit her lip at that. Yajū wasn't saying any lies. Still, she wanted to believe in Aizawa. And she did.

Turning off her thoughts she continued walking home, satisfied with her day. Tomorrow was what she needed to worry about.

Tomorrow she hoped she could make some kind of breakthrough with her powers.

* * *

Bright and early Amaya awoke to Aizawa shaking her crumpled form, forcing her to get ready for some early training.

"_Aizawa's awake… at 6:30? Without me needing to wake him up?" _

Amaya didn't even have time to process her thoughts, only sleepily putting on the one pair of workout clothes she owned and tying her messy black hair into a ponytail.

Her ears and tail were dragging behind her until she saw an equally tired Shinso approaching. Aizawa noticed the perked up appendages as well and tried to calm himself. Throwing students wasn't allowed.

The teens couldn't interact much though, thankfully in Aizawa's opinion, due to running a good few miles as a warm up. Aizawa didn't relent and while they did core workouts, he explained the difference between underground heroes and the big showy ones like All Might.

Amaya couldn't stop her eyes from rolling as Aizawa explained that if Shinso and herself decided to become "popular pros" they'd not only have to focus on training but keeping the public happy. Having to look pretty for the cameras and staying nice with the press. Everything relied on how society viewed them, more so than actually saving people.

"_**Then why the hell is Endeavor number 2?! He sucks!" **_

"_Well, the press like him enough so." _

"_**This is why real heroes don't exist anymore." **_

Yajū was quoting someone. Amaya paused mid-crunch, eyes glazing as repressed memories came back.

"_I don't know Akane! I don't know alright! You know that if we engage in an argument with Endeavor then our image will only go down!" Raion stressed, dragging his hands through his hair, pulling the black locks from stress. _

"_I don't care! I don't care! My son is dead because of that bastard!" Akane shouted hysterically in retaliation, pacing back and forth in their den. _

_Amaya quietly hid behind the corner, tears in her eyes as her parents continued to shout at each other. Each comment progressively more insulting than the last. _

_A gentle touch on her shoulder distracted her momentarily and she glanced up at her uncle, frowning at his grim features. _

"_This society's view of a hero is disgusting little one. Real heroes don't exist anymore." _

_Amaya slowly nodded, fighting back whimpers as she hid her small body in the warmth of her uncle. Desperately hoping his comfort could drown out the loud shouts in the background. _

"Amaya. Amaya. Amaya!" Aizawa called out, staring quizzically at the zoned out cat-girl.

Amaya flinched, looking up to see both males staring at her in concern.

"Sorry. It's nothing. Just a cramp."

Neither insomniacs believed the girl but decided to leave the issue… for now.

"Right… well you've warmed up enough now, so today's focus is on your quirks." Aizawa explained, still staring at Amaya in concern.

"_Fuck."_

"_**Hell yea!"**_

Now standing, huddling close together, Aizawa decided to start with Shinso, after seeing how pale Amaya had gotten in the span of a few seconds just from hearing his words.

"Okay Shinso, so your quirk basically works if you can get someone to answer you after you ask them a question, right?" Aizawa clarified, staring at the purple-haired teen for confirmation.

At seeing his nod, Aizawa walked over to his bag and threw something over his shoulder. Shinso scrambled to catch it, his heart dropping when the thing fumbled in his hands.

Peering over Amaya noticed it was a thick black mask.

Both teens stared at it in confusion, Amaya poking it in curiosity. Shinso looked over, waiting for an explanation while trying to ignore Amaya's cute actions.

"It's just a regular mask. However, I started thinking about how anyone who saw the sports festival now knows about your quirk and understands that it's voice activated. Meaning they know what you sound like which could be problematic later on," Aizawa explained as he tied wraps around his fists and wrists.

"I'm having Hatsume work on something for you but as of right now, we need you to raise your stamina. This mask will help with your breathing control and intensify your workouts."

Shinso nodded, apprehensive about training with the mask but also excited. Aizawa was having something made for him? Aizawa really did believe in him.

He placed it on, and took a deep breath, readying himself for battle. Aizawa strode over, his demeanor relaxed, confident.

"Let's begin."

As the two men fought, Aizawa obviously taking the lead, Amaya admired how hard Shinso worked. Yes, he was getting his ass beat and wrapped in Aizawa's capture weapon, but he had improved since yesterday. Plus, he was a quick learner, so Amaya knew that if Shinso kept training he'd be up there with Todoroki and Bakugo soon enough.

Speaking of those two dorks she hadn't seen them or really any of her friends, Shinso aside. She knew this was bound to happen as everyone was interning in different cities and most likely dead tired after them as well.

Iida popped into her mind, but she quickly got rid of the thought. While she worried for him, she was still bothered by his irrational actions. She could only hope Midoriya got to him.

Regrouping her thoughts, she focused on how she had developed such close relationships with everyone, and even had a phone she could use to communicate with them.

She was just too shy to be the first one to send a message.

"_**You know ignoring the problem won't make it go away." **_

Amaya growled to herself, not appreciating the intrusive thought.

"_I'm not ignoring anything." _

"_**Right. You're not thinking about those losers instead of the fact that you have absolutely no control over your own quirk."**_

Amaya sighed, completely dejected. Yajū might not have been completely wrong. She stared disdainfully at her seal, scratching it aggressively. She couldn't even remember when she got it, just that it had been a painful experience. She watched the skin break right under her seal, grimacing at the blood that leaked down her claws.

Yajū had been frightening to her when she was little but hadn't actually developed into a separate personality in her head until after Kou passed away. If it was a personality…. Amaya just knew she was not mentally right.

Before, Yajū had been like a dark version of Amaya, but after the incident she no longer had any control at all. The darkness just overtook her, and Amaya was put to sleep. It scared her that she'd never be able to control Yajū. She couldn't do it in her youth and now Yajū was just as strong as her.

What the hell was she supposed to do?

"Amaya. You're up."

Amaya flinched, leaving the skin around her seal alone, discreetly wiping the blood on her black sweatpants.

Gulping, she shakily looked over to an exhausted Shinso, feeling the slightest bit better at his tired but genuine smile of encouragement.

Aizawa made a hand motion for her to begin and Amaya begrudgingly got into a fighting stance.

She bit directly into her seal and watched as the blood dripped, ignoring Aizawa's concerned look at her bloody wrist.

Heart pounding in her ears, Amaya felt the familiar haze surrounding her conscious. Yajū immediately took the reins, restricting all control.

Shinso stared in awe at Amaya's transformation, it seemed like he'd never get over it.

Growling **Amaya** smirked up at the two men, her miasma curling around her body.

"Finally, it's my time to play."

"You know I've noticed how your personality switches whenever this happens, care to explain why Amaya?" Aizawa interrogated, changing his stance into a causal one.

"_What's happening out there?"_

"Hmm. I guess you would've figured it out sooner or later teach. Your little Amaya is just stupid enough to believe you didn't figure it out because you never said anything," Yajū commented, enjoying the scowl on Shinso's face and flicker of irritation in Aizawa's eyes at the jab.

"Who are you? Are you not Amaya?" Shinso asked, stepping closer to the cat-girl, body guarded.

Yajū laughed bitterly and walked around the men in a circle, enjoying the attention.

"Well, I am her, but she just doesn't want to accept it. So instead, I go by Yajū, quite fitting in my opinion," Yajū explained, whipping out a tendril at Shinso's feet, manically smiling at his stumble.

"Quit it!"

"You big baby, I don't understand what she sees in you."

"Wait, what?" Shinso stuttered out, face flush as he wondered if he heard that correctly.

"Enough! Yajū, this is the first time we interacted is it not? Usually, Amaya fights for control and ends up passing out or reaching her limit, why is that?" Aizawa interrupted, feeling conflicted as he stared at his kid who wasn't really his kid right now.

"Ugh how the hell am I supposed to answer you? I want control and she wants control but she can't take it back because she's weak. End of story."

"Amaya is not weak," Shinso bit back, glaring at the floor. He wanted to glare at the cat girl, but this **thing** was still in Amaya's body. He didn't know if he believed such a crude person existed in Amaya but if it did, he wanted to help her and he didn't want her to think he was mad at her.

"Isn't saying that Amaya is weak mean that you're weak as well? Since you said you're a part of her?" Aizawa countered, his calculative eyes analyzing the figure before him.

"_Yajū I can see what's happening. We aren't fighting so let me go back." _

"_**No, it's my turn." **_

Hissing, the dark purple wisps fluttered around Yajū dangerously.

"I am not weak. This stupid girl is. That's why I'm here. I have to protect her otherwise she'd be dead by now. C'mon teach, you've seen her fight." Yajū stated exasperatedly.

Aizawa furrowed his brows at that statement. At first it seemed as if Yajū hated Amaya, being a completely different being inside her head. Yet this statement and the fact that Yajū said they were a part of Amaya contradicted how they acted.

So, what was it?

"You want to protect Amaya? Then why do you insult her?! Why do you not just give her back control when she wants it? Instead, you just let her strain herself!" Shinso shouted, remembering her scared eyes at the tournament. Those beautiful gold eyes glazed over as she looked at Bakugo.

"BECAUSE SHE'S WEAK AND I'M NOT BUT SHE'S SCARED OF ME! I'VE ALWAYS SCARED HER EVEN THOUGH ALL I WANT TO DO IS HELP!" Yajū screamed, voice hoarse and eyes teary yet hard as they stared back at the purple-haired boy.

Amaya's fists were clenched so hard blood leaked out and her body seemed ready to pounce. No longer walking around arrogantly but instead hunched over and guarded.

"It's fucking annoying and if she's going to act like a brat then I'm going to act like this. It's helped her survive so far," Yajū muttered, glaring at the men in front of her.

"Do you and Amaya communicate? Does she understand how you feel? Does she understand that you are merely her instincts taking an intelligent form?" Aizawa softly asked as he slowly approached the girl.

"_No. I didn't know that… I've always been asleep, or the haze made it hard for me to know what you're saying. You've never told me this." _

"_**How could I when you always cried when you saw your reflection?"**_

"Wait let me get this straight. Amaya and you are the same person then? You're just her instincts in human form and you act like a bitch because that's how Amaya sees herself?" Shinso tiredly repeated, rubbing at his face.

Yajū grimaced and looked the other way, her tendrils calming down.

"I don't think we'll ever really understand Shinso, and I doubt Amaya will either seeing how she's been repressing this since it manifested. But I do believe that perhaps now instead of this loss of control, perhaps you two could try and work together?"

Yajū stiffened at that and Amaya felt a prick in her subconscious.

"_**Work together?"**_

"_Work together?"_

Yajū made a face but hesitantly nodded and Amaya felt the haze lift slightly. She couldn't control her body, but she could clearly see what Yajū was seeing.

Aizawa was smiling at her and Shinso looked happy as well.

"Why do you both have that dumb look on your faces?" Yajū bit out, albeit not as harshly as Amaya expected.

"You really do have such beautiful gold eyes Amaya," Shinso softly complimented.

Yajū and Amaya froze at that and quickly ran into the bathroom.

Black veins still littered her body, dark miasma surrounding her in a protective curtain. But instead of pure white, shimmering gold eyes stared back through the mirror.

* * *

Their practice ended a little early that day which Amaya truly appreciated. She still couldn't get over the fact that Yajū admitted they just wanted to protect her. She couldn't get over the fact that they were going to try and work together!

Yajū had stayed quiet for the rest of practice, barely making any jabs when someone messed up. Amaya still couldn't really do anything, but it was weird being able to see herself move due to another's actions. And she felt even more surprised when Yajū just let her take back full control.

It was a weird day for sure. Thankfully Aizawa understood that and let Amaya leave early while he stayed to practice with Shinso for another hour.

Having showered and changed into her normal clothes Amaya frowned at the tiny holes in her long-sleeved t-shirt. She needed more clothes, only having a few pairs of outfits. Yet she couldn't see herself going out to the mall and buying skirts or dresses like any regular teen. Even walking home right now, she could only breathe properly when there was no one near her.

People's stares of disgust annoyed and disheartened her. Willingly going to a place where there'd be crowds sounded like a nightmare.

She sighed, stubbornly picking at the hole, trying to forget about those stares even though she knew doing that wasn't a smart idea.

When she arrived home, she merely placed her things in her room before deciding to go out on a short walk to clear her head.

She briefly texted Aizawa and began walking.

Amaya had forgotten what it felt like to just walk around, not caring about anything else at the moment. It had been so long since she was even allowed to do such a thing. Even living with Aizawa for a few months hadn't opened her up to the fact that she was free now.

Well as free as one could be with a shock collar.

Walking around felt nice, and with the sun starting to set, the breeze felt delightful on her skin.

This felt amazing.

* * *

She was lost.

It had only been twenty minutes, but Amaya deeply regretted taking a walk in the first place.

She had planned to walk straight to avoid this kind of problem but having been caught up in her thoughts she made turns unconsciously and now she was lost, and the moon was starting to rise.

To make matters worse she didn't charge her phone the night before, still not used to having to do that, and so now it was dead.

Perfect.

Aizawa was going to kill her.

Sighing in frustration she decided maybe walking towards where there were more people would be better than walking around deserted neighborhoods. Even though people made her anxious, she wanted to go home and to do that she needed directions.

It wasn't long before she saw someone a little bit ahead. She sped up a little, not wanting to scare them but it seemed to have the opposite effect because as soon as she was within arm's distance she was suddenly pinned into the wall, their thick arm pressing against her throat.

Amaya dug her claws in the person's arm, eyes wide in panic until she saw familiar red staring down at her in confusion.

Bakugo?

He instantly let go and Amaya held in a cough, wanting to appear stronger than how she felt.

"Dumbass, don't you know not to sneak up on a person. Maybe that'll teach you for next time," he growled out, but his words held no menace.

Amaya wanted to retort something back, but she froze when she was able to fully take Bakugo in.

What happened to his…

"Pfft," Amaya giggled, turning her head in an attempt not to look at his pulled back hair and scowling demeanor.

It didn't matter because one quick glance back had her laughing uncontrollably.

"Ugh, shut up extra! I have to wear my hair like this for my internship and it won't fucking go back in its place! Stop laughing before I blow your face off!" Bakugo threatened, face annoyed yet there was a hint of red on his cheeks.

Amaya tried to control her giggles, but it was difficult. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed this hard. It's just Bakugo looked like a petulant child, how could she not laugh.

"Sorry, sorry. Hehe, nice hair," Amaya smiled, eyes a bit teary from laughing so hard.

Bakugo wanted to yell at her but he couldn't help but stare at her smiling face. She didn't smile much but it wasn't so bad when she did. She didn't look half bad smiling.

"So, then you're returning from your internship with…"

"Best Jeanist," Bakugo answered, growling as he relayed his answer.

He regretted his decision to train with that annoying man so much.

"Hmm. I see. So you live in this area then?" Amaya quietly asked, hoping he could direct her home if she didn't annoy him too much.

"No shit I live around here. What are you doing here?" Bakugo responded sounding both annoyed and curious at the same time.

Amaya sheepishly smiled at that and looked down to avoid his judging stare.

"I'm… lost," she whispered back, face flushing in embarrassment.

"I didn't think you were a stupid extra, guess I was wrong."

Amaya snapped her head back up at that and scowled at him, "At least I don't look like a toddler in super tight jeans."

Bakugo growled at that, eye twitching at her comment.

"You sure talk big for someone with holes in their shirt."

Amaya gasped at that and quickly hid her hands behind her sleeves. She forgot that in her nervous state of being lost she had ripped the holes in her sleeves into larger ones.

"This is one of the only shirts I have, shut up."

Bakugo stared at her contemplating her words in his mind. He grew up where fashion was a big part of his life and he knew most girls loved that kind of stuff too. He dressed nice and could afford nice things too because his family never suffered financially.

Looking at the embarrassed state of the cat-girl in front of him, her clothes that were obviously handed down and didn't really fit her properly, he forgot not everyone was like him. His eyes trailed over to her collar and he felt like an idiot for a moment.

Was Hitachi even allowed to go shopping? He didn't really know her situation, just what her parents did and that most of society feared her.

He didn't get it, and he felt something annoying gnawing at his insides. It annoyed him that she wasn't smiling anymore.

"Let's go," Bakugo instructed before walking ahead.

Amaya frowned at his words and scrambled to walk beside him. Damn her short legs.

"Go where I haven't even told you we're I lived?"

"Yea but Aizawa-sensei knows, you can use the phone at my house to call him, I'm assuming yours is dead unless you really are an idiot."

Amaya stuttered at that, "H-how would I know Aizawa-sensei's number?"

Bakugo scoffed at that, glaring at the cat-girl.

"Those dumbasses in our class might not see it but it's obvious you and that old man are close," he clarified, daring her to tell him he was wrong.

Amaya didn't say anything, astounded by how perceptive Bakugo really was. He may have been an aggressive hot head, but he was observant.

"Thank you," she mumbled, a small smile appearing on her face at his unexpected kindness.

"Stop talking brat," Bakugo bit out, looking away from the small teen, face red.

The two walked in comfortable silence before Amaya looked up to see a beautiful home in front of her.

Bakugo motioned for her to wait outside and she patiently did. He came right back out with his phone in his hand and she took no time to call her guardian.

To say he was upset was an understatement. Aizawa sounded so mad yet relieved on the phone that she wondered how he was going to punish her. She didn't think he'd hit her; he never gave her reason to believe he would, but this was the first time she did something wrong.

Would he lock her up? No food for a day?

She reached up and clutched at her collar. Was that what he was going to do?

Before she could spiral in her panic a heavy but gentle hand moved hers away from her neck.

"Look shorty, I know Aizawa's probably mad at you and I don't know what your situation is but relax. You look stupid when you freak out."

Amaya glared at Bakugo for that, but her eyes softened as she realized he was trying to calm her down.

"You can go back inside if you want, Aizawa should be here any minute. It turns out you don't live too far from where I do," she explained as she looked at the street.

Bakugo grunted before he roughly stuffed her hand with a piece of paper.

Amaya looked at it in confusion, but he barked at her before she could open it.

"Sunday. 12:30pm. We're buying you some new shirts. Don't be late."

"Wait what?" Amaya started, gazing at Bakugo baffled.

"Don't make me repeat myself. You need new clothes and since you're too scared to go alone and don't know how to dress I'm going. I'm feeling generous so just shut up and put that number in when your phone is charged, dumbass." Bakugo growled out as he shoved her face away, ignoring her little squeak of surprise.

He noticed headlights in his driveway and headed inside, shouting out one last time.

"Don't you dare be late!"

Amaya didn't even have the chance to respond before Aizawa appeared, seeming both frustrated and calm. It was terrifying.

He looked her over once before moving in. Amaya flinched and closed her eyes until she noticed Aizawa was ruffling her hair and pushing her body into his.

"Don't scare me like that kid. I was so worried."

She grabbed onto his shirt, hesitatingly slightly before asking, "You're not mad at me?"

"Oh, I'm mad, but I was more scared than angry. You're going to be running double time because of this tomorrow and I expect you to charge that phone," he grumbled, giving her one last squeeze before moving to the car.

Amaya smiled lightly, nodding before bounding over to her seat.

As they drove away Amaya knew she should've focused on trying to make up with Aizawa, but her thoughts kept drifting over to a certain blonde hot-head.

Her blush didn't die down until they arrived home.

* * *

Sweat dripped down her forehead and shallow breaths were all Shinso heard from beside him. Amaya had been made to run twice as many laps as him today, concerning the purple-haired boy.

He handed her a bottle of water which she hastily swiped from his grasp and chugged.

"Heh, thanks," she gasped out, smiling weakly at him.

Shinso nodded trying not to stare too long, feeling a certain adult's eyes on his back.

Aizawa quickly made his way over towards the two, not liking them being together for too long. Maybe he was a bit overprotective but so what? His kid, his rules.

"Go do your regular warm ups and then shower, you're going to use your costume today," Aizawa instructed, looking mostly at Amaya. .

"Umm Aizawa-sensei? I don't have a costume… so am I supposed to do something else today?" Shinso spoke up, an abashed tone coming through.

Amaya looked through the two frowning, upset Shinso didn't have a costume even though he deserved it and confused Aizawa wanted to go patrol at this hour.

They had started later as well which she should've taken into account, but she just blamed it on her guardian not liking the early morning. It was only past noon, and she knew that he usually patrolled at night… Maybe this was part of the internship experience?

Still, she wondered how people were going to react once they saw her, if they recognized her in her costume.

"Well, I actually can't take you Shinso because you're still regarded as a general student, but I do have some plans for you. You can continue to do some of your own training if you wish, which I highly recommend, and then head on down to the support level in an hour. You'll meet some of our support students to go over what kind of costume you'd like," Aizawa calmly explained, getting his things ready.

Amaya and Shinso stared at each other in open shock.

"A-Aizawa-sensei, you're serious? B-but how? I mean is that even allowed?" Shinso rambled, eyes still incredulous.

Aizawa softly smiled back, surprising the purple-haired teen who had only seen that look given towards Amaya.

"Kid I've talked about how I think the entrance exams are biased. Plus, I wouldn't have taken you if I didn't think you had potential. Just trust me and go over there, I think it'll be a good experience for you."

Shinso smiled widely and nodded, new energy reviving inside of him. Besides him Amaya quietly squealed, clutching onto his arm in her excitement, eyes sparkling.

Shinso couldn't help himself as he gently petted her, briefly forgetting he wasn't alone.

"Do your warm ups now before I make you run again. And I mean both of you this time," Aizawa deadpanned, looking only slightly irritated.

Shinso blanched, running ahead while Amaya pouted and followed suit. She didn't understand why they were being threatened and was slightly upset at the sudden threat. Sometimes she really didn't understand her caretaker.

Aizawa huffed as he saw both of them start their sit-ups. Seriously, these two were going to give him an aneurysm.

Damn kids.

* * *

Fully decked out in her costume, katanas safely attached to her back, Amaya followed Aizawa onto the train.

They had bid Shinso goodbye at the school and now were heading to…?

"Aizawa where are we going?" Amaya prodded, noticing her guardian had been more quiet than usual since they left the school grounds.

"Hosu City."

Amaya's eyes widened and Aizawa regarded her with a weary look.

"Besides your concern over Iida, the police have actually noticed a trend in the Hero Killer's killing. He always kills at least four heroes in whatever city he's in but in Hosu he's only attacked Ingenium. So, the police have a suspicion that he will try and attack a few more before leaving," Aizawa explained, sighing as he stared at the passing buildings.

He really didn't want to bring Amaya to this, concerned for her safety, but mostly he worried about the prejudice she'd most likely receive there. A lot of Japan still regarded her as a dangerous threat and highly populated cities like Hosu were more suspicious of her.

Even the people here on this train were staring at her suspiciously and it was taking everything in him to not say something.

Staring at her innocent gold eyes only made him grit his teeth more. He should've left her home but at the same time this was a good way to show the world she was training to be a hero and a part of the internship experience.

Groaning quietly, he slightly banged his head against his arm. Amaya noticed and softly nuzzled her head into his back subconsciously, hoping to relax him even if just slightly.

Aizawa stiffened at the contact and stared at his charge in surprise, she didn't even seem to notice what she was doing.

He wondered if it was that she was part feline that she instinctively started to let go of relaxing pheromones. It wasn't like they were particularly strong, but he understood she was trying to calm him down.

She was a sweet kid. And he knew the world would see that one day.

Amaya sighed as she looked up at Aizawa's tense face. She understood his worry. Iida was in danger, especially if he also caught onto this trend and was going to do something dumb. Gods she really hoped his agency could stop him if something happened.

As the train headed deeper and the sun started to set, a heavy weight settled down in Amaya's stomach.

She had a really bad feeling about all of this.

_BOOM_

The train came to a frigid stop but then everything began shaking. Aizawa scanned the area but there were no immediate signs of danger, meaning the explosion was near but not close enough to hurt anyone… yet.

"Attention passengers, please exit the train in an orderly fashion and then proceed to head home right away. There seems to be some trouble near the area so please leave immediately and get home safe!" A slightly strained voice announced from the train's speakers.

Aizawa and Amaya stared at each other briefly before running out of the train and platform.

There was chaos all around them: buildings were on fire and all Amaya could hear was civilian screams. Looking up she felt her heart drop.

Nomus.

As in _multiple _monsters flying and attacking every which way.

"Amaya! You guide civilians out of harm's way and try to assist any rescue heroes you see! Do not engage in any fighting, do you understand!" Aizawa's sudden voice commanded, snapping Amaya out of her revere.

Amaya hollowly nodded, eyes glazing at the fact that Aizawa was going to have to fight one of those things again. Just as he jumped, she almost grabbed onto his shirt wanting to stop him.

She didn't, knowing that was foolish so instead she screamed, tears in her eyes, "BE CAREFUL! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!"

Aizawa tightly nodded back, "That goes for you too kid."

Amaya didn't hear that, running towards where she heard the most grouped screams. Her senses were going all over the place and her breathing felt tight, but she refused to panic. She had to help!

Her ears twitched, picking up a muffled cry of help, the sound so quiet she doubted any of the heroes could pick it up. She raced through the smoke and debris, trying to avoid the Nomus as much as she could. As she neared a vacant but destroyed area, she noticed the cry from before was of a child.

That's when she saw a slab of concrete wedged between an upside-down car and a building. She looked into the car and her stomach dropped at the corpse laying across the wheel. The poor woman had concrete sticking out of her, the small child tangled in the backseat with her seatbelt.

"Please help my mommy! She's stuck and fell asleep! Please help her!" The little girl sobbed, brown eyes trembling, not even worried about her own injuries. Amaya's heart quickened and she desperately wished she had the words to explain that this little girl's mommy wasn't here anymore.

The child didn't seem to be any older than four years old and Amaya felt tears trying to gather in her eyes. Pinching herself to maintain some sort of calm she turned to the child.

Shakily smiling Amaya nodded, "Of course! D-dont worry, I'll save you!"

The little girl's sobs quieted a little, only small whimpers could be heard.

Gulping, Amaya pulled out her two katanas, trying to calm her unsteady hands. Would the katanas be able to slice through the rock? That was using a lot more force than Amaya was used too.

But seeing the panic in the little girl's eyes made Amaya's mind clear. She had to try. If she could cut the piece of concrete that was blocking entry of the car then she could get the kid out.

Still, her katanas weren't exactly new and even if they were, they were not made to slice through solid rock. Most likely than not she was going to break her swords.

"_**Maybe you could try using me?"**_

"_Huh?"_

"_**I could make it so that as you slice through the stone, miasma creeps in, hopefully disintegrating it." **_

"_Will that work?" _

"_**Don't know. But you wanna save that kid right?" **_

Amaya breathed shakily, she hadto try.

"_Okay." _

Biting her tattoo, she let Yajū come out but instead of falling under any haze, Amaya's consciousness was still present, able to see everything. It was weird not fighting for control.

But there was no time to dwell on it and so getting into the proper stance Amaya felt as Yajū's strength took over, the miasma surrounding the blades.

One shot.

Don't screw this up.

With a battle cry Amaya sliced her katanas down and immediately felt resistance, but instead of the swords breaking the miasma filled in the small cracks and little by little did the concrete start falling apart.

Sweat dripped down Amaya's forehead but she refused to stop even though her arms were starting to get sore.

It took a few minutes but the rock blocking the door finally came apart and Amaya slid to her knees, panting.

Her arms shook but she ignored it, slicing through the car door, with much more ease. Yajū had slipped back which Amaya didn't notice until she reached over to cut the little girl out of her seatbelt, her miasma gone. Once the small girl was secure in her arms, she placed her gently to the side.

Checking over for any injuries she didn't find any obvious ones. She let go but the little girl clutched onto her leg like it was her lifeline, brown eyes helplessly staring at Amaya's gold ones. Amaya tried for a smile before it somewhat diminished as she looked back over at the car.

Now what to do with the corpse…

"Oh, wow did that nice kitten just save you?" A deep voice interrupted Amaya's thought and she immediately looked over to see none other than pro hero Hawks crouching down to the little girl's height.

"Mhmm, yea! She saved me and now she's going to save my mommy!" The little girl cheered, squeezing Amaya's leg tighter.

Amaya didn't know how to react to anything. Did she crouch down and hug the little girl? How could she when she wanted to leave her mom? Did she acknowledge the experienced hero before her? He was a pro-hero after all and one that she actually knew about! She should probably say something.

However, all that came out of her mouth was, "Uhhh…."

Hawks analyzed the situation quickly and tried to keep his frown of pity to himself, but Amaya could tell he knew there was nothing they could do for the mother.

"I'm going to get another hero to help your mommy get out, but right now I'm taking you to get your injuries checked okay?" Hawks offered and Amaya pleaded that the little girl took the bait.

The child didn't seem pleased but hesitantly nodded back.

Amaya smiled gratefully at the pro and he nodded solemnly back.

He reached out to grab the girl and she wordlessly climbed into his arms, probably knowing he was safe. But before he could move away, the little girl tugged at Amaya's arm.

"Thank you, Miss Kitty. You're my hero," she whispered, misty eyes full of gratitude. Amaya blushed heavily even with the mask on and nodded. She reached out and squeezed the small girl's hand.

"You're the real hero. You're being so brave, good job," Amaya praised, smiling softly at the girl's adorable giggle. Amaya hoped this girl wouldn't suffer too much, but she knew once the girl found out the truth she'd be in pain.

Hawks seemed to have come to the conclusion as well, grimacing as he looked over at the mom once more. He didn't say anything, only securing the little girl and giving her a reassuring smile.

As he got ready to leave, he looked over at Amaya and smiled kindly.

"You did good kid. I hope to be seeing you around more," and with that he winked and flew away.

Amaya took a step back, a bit starstruck, but a sudden buzzing in her back pocket snapped her back to reality.

She grabbed her cellphone and looked at it in confusion. Why was Midoriya suddenly texting her?

Opening his message, she noticed he hadn't written anything, instead a location was texted. Clicking on it she realized it seemed to be in an alley because there was no specific building near it.

Why was he suddenly texting her a location?

Except it wasn't just her that he sent that text to, looking at it closely Amaya noticed she was in a group text with some numbers she recognized being her fellow classmates and others she didn't.

Why would Midoriya send something like this?

Unless… he was in trouble.

Was he in Hosu City too?

Not wanting to delay her actions she quickly opened up her maps and started darting down different alleys in hopes of reaching Midoriya soon.

She hoped she wasn't too late.

As she kept running, she heard the unmistakable sound of ice and quickly turned only to freeze at seeing Midoriya and Iida bleeding on the floor along with someone else. Todoroki had his back to her, protecting them all from what she could only tell was the attacker.

She didn't have time to process what was going on, she only moved when she noticed a sudden sword above Todoroki.

Without thinking she ran and jumped, grabbing the sword and intercepting its path, surprising both Todoroki and the attacker.

As she landed, she heard gasps from behind her and got into a defensive stance, the sword she caught ready to be used.

"Amaya-san! You're here too!" Iida panted, sounding exasperated.

"Amaya-chan be careful! That's Stain! The hero-killer! Don't let him cut you!" Midoriya cried out from the floor.

She couldn't respond, a sudden weight forced against her own weapon. Amaya gritted her teeth and aimed a front kick towards Stain, surprising him. However, he merely jumped behind her, yet she already knew what he was planning and brought her sword to cover her back just as he aimed a katana at it.

The force caused her to move back and she slid next to Todoroki, whose cheek seemed to be bleeding.

"Don't let him ingest your blood, that's what seems to be causing the paralysis in the others," Todoroki briefly explained, melting the ice next to him.

Amaya nodded, understanding that right now there was no time for pleasantries.

"How are you two feeling?" Amaya asked, keeping her eyes on Stain, feeling chills run down her back as she stared into his eyes.

She tried to focus on their answers, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Stain for obvious reasons but also because…

Why did he seem familiar?

"I'm so sorry Amaya-san! You shouldn't be dragged up in this mess," Iida cried out, pain clearly shining through his voice.

Amaya laughed slightly, throwing a harsh glare over her shoulder even though her smile was real. "Damn you Iida. Stand up so I can beat your stupid ass after we get to safety from this psycho."

Iida felt his tears stop as he stared at the small teen in front of him, protecting him. She didn't seem so small in this moment. His tears reappeared but this time out of gratefulness.

"Psycho? That's harsh," a deep voice interrupted suddenly appearing near Amaya and Todoroki, shocking them both. Before either one could react, Stain had pierced Todoroki's arms with more knives, blood profusely leaking out.

However, he didn't even try to lick the blood, instead he grabbed Amaya by her neck and threw her to the wall.

Amaya tried to stop him, but he was stronger and by the time her hand reached out all she felt was a dull pain in her back and the ground beneath her.

She heard the boys cries for her, but it all blurred as Stain appeared in front of her, pushing her against the wall, a dagger pointed at her heart.

"What sloppy reaction time. How do you suppose you'll save anyone with those kind of instincts?" Stain commented slowly digging the dagger deeper.

Amaya couldn't respond as heat surrounded them both and Stain jumped away. She was suddenly picked up and carried near Iida and realized it was Midoriya who had moved.

But wasn't he paralyzed before?

The others seemed to come to the same conclusion until Midoriya explained his three theories on Stain's quirk.

Stain only smirked, admitting that his paralysis differed with different blood types. He didn't care if they knew because he knew he could beat them.

He was so cocky. And so damn familiar.

Why?

His quirk too… Amaya felt as though she heard of a similar quirk before.

That was so weird because the only person she knew that had a quirk like that was—

The sword clanged to the ground.

Amaya fell to her knees in a heap, surprising her classmates.

No way.

That's not possible.

He... he disappeared!

That...

Stain wasn't!

No. No, no, no!

"Hitachi did he cut you! Are you okay? Can you stand!" Todoroki cried out, rushing to the cat-girl's side, grabbing onto her forearm and trying to help her up, but his voice was merely static to the petite teen.

"Hitachi. I see. Been a long time since I've heard that name," Stain sighed, his deranged eyes filling with slight pain, his gaze directed at Amaya.

Amaya stayed put, too dazed to move.

Todoroki gently let go and focused on the task at hand. None of the boys knew why the Amaya suddenly collapsed and blamed it on paralysis.

They just knew they had to protect her along with everyone else.

Midoriya and Todoroki continued to fight, trying their best using combined attacks to push Stain back.

Amaya stared at the scene before her, frozen in her thoughts. What was she supposed to do? Her friends were fighting, bleeding to death, trying to protect her, **her**! And here she was, useless on the floor.

But what if that really was...

"_Blood is thicker than water…" _

"_Family is always first…" _

Iida had finally gotten up and joined the fighting as well. Now it was all three boys vs. Stain.

"Yajū come here."

Those three words broke the spell and before Amaya could comprehend what she was doing she was suddenly in front of her three classmates, no, her three friends, arms out to push them away.

The three teens gaze all widened at the motion, confused as to what was happening.

Amaya felt like crying.

The world did really hate her.

Of course, Stain was her beloved uncle.

What the fuck was she going to do now?

* * *

**A/N: Guess whose back? :)**

**No but seriously I want to apologize for not uploading in almost FIVE GODDAMN MONTHS. Jeez I can't believe that. I want to thank all of you who were always here and hope this long chapter can make up for it. I'm almost done with the next chapter so I will upload that as soon as my editor finishes it. College sucks my dudes, but this has provided me a lot more comfort than I thought it would. I'm finally on winter break and intend on uploading more frequently! I hope you all enjoy and please review! As always stay safe!**


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